U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was encouraged by "productive" early trade talks with Japan and South Korea this week, the Treasury said in a statement on Friday.

Tokyo signals renewed interest in negotiations with a personal letter from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer held a productive meeting with his South Korean counterpart on Friday in which they agreed on the importance of making swift progress toward reciprocal and balanced trade,