The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan called for an end to actions that "destabilize" security around the Taiwan Strait, in what appears to be a veiled warning to China amid increasing military exercises in the area.

Stocks in auto export powerhouses Japan and South Korea both plunged Monday in anticipation of stiff new tariffs on Asian goods imported into the U.S. that are set to go into effect Wednesday.

The comments came after the three countries held their first economic dialogue in five years. Read more at straitstimes.com.

At the heart of this shift is the Philippines, which faces persistent Chinese incursions into its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). General Romeo Brawner Jr., head of the Philippines' Joint Chiefs of Staff, reported an average of 286 Chinese vessels operating daily last year within the EEZ, up from 190 in 2021. ​

China's launches drills around Taiwan to "severely punish" the island's pro-independence leader, as the U.S. boosts its war footing in Japan to deter Chinese "aggression."