U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen called for trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan to jointly fight against economic pressures from China.

At the inaugural meeting of the three sides' finance chiefs in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Yellen targeted China, without specifically naming the country, calling on the need to further deepen cooperation to counter economic coercion and combat sanctions evasion.

Stating that Washington deeply values its close partnerships with Seoul and Tokyo, Yellen anticipated in-depth discussions with the two allies on key global issues, supporting Pacific Island nations, and cooperation with international financial institutions.