South Korea balances U.S. security ties and Chinese trade amid rising tensions and shifting public sentiment.

U.S.–China tensions are pressuring South Korea to balance its alliances. Seoul’s $350 billion investment deal with Washington, traded for lower auto tariffs, strengthens economic ties with the U.S. while it remains reliant on Chinese trade. At the 2025 APEC Summit, a brief Trump–Xi meeting exposed the bloc’s waning influence amid rising U.S. protectionism. Growing anti-China sentiment, especially among youth, is shifting Seoul closer to Washington as it carefully navigates security with the U.S. and commerce with Beijing.