The country’s new president, in office for a little over a month, had just dispatched his senior deputies to Washington to try to work out a trade deal.

The U.S.’s closest security allies in Asia, along with six Southeast Asian countries, have been given another three weeks to negotiate trade deals — or face higher tariffs.

Japan and South Korea have until Aug. 1 to agree new trade terms with the U.S., or face 25% “reciprocal” tariffs. The two Asian countries share vulnerabilities that put them in President Trump’s crosshairs,