Trump says Japan and South Korea want to partner with the US in Alaska pipeline

Washington: Japan, South Korea and other countries want to partner with the United States in a "gigantic" natural gas pipeline in Alaska, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, claiming they would invest "trillions of dollars each."

Trump said in an address to the US Congress that the pipeline would be one of the largest in the world.

"Japan, South Korea and other nations want to be our partner, with investments of trillions of dollars each," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, South Korea's Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun said the United States had asked South Korea and other countries if they are interested in participating in the Alaskan liquefied natural gas project.

He said Seoul and Washington had agreed to establish a working-level group to discuss the pipeline, energy, shipbuilding, tariffs and non-tariff barriers.

Anh's comments came after he traveled to Washington last month seeking exemptions from Trump administration tariffs that are expected to hit South Korea's export-reliant economy hard.

During the trip Ahn indicated South Korean interest in joining the $44 billion Alaska gas project in partnership with the US and Japan, Yonhap News Agency reported.

On Sunday, the co-chair of the White House National Energy Dominance Council Doug Burgum said the 800-mile LNG gas pipeline would allow the United States to sell energy to its allies and "raise money for the US Treasury."

While the Alaska LNG proposal faces cost and logistical hurdles, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and others are buying into the idea of increasing US gas imports more broadly.

Japanese officials have not said they have agreed to participate in the pipeline but have agreed to look into the matter, according to people familiar with the conversations.

Japan's trade minister plans to visit Washington this month to seek exemptions from Trump's tariffs and discuss Japan's plans to buy more US LNG.