American lawmakers are visiting South Korea and Japan to explore opportunities for leveraging these allies' shipbuilding expertise and capacity to enhance U.S. naval capabilities, which currently lag behind China's. This initiative follows discussions between U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who is scheduled to visit Washington for a summit. During this summit, South Korea is expected to announce approximately $150 billion in U.S. investment plans by private companies, including a potential $7.2 billion additional investment by Samsung in its semiconductor complex in Taylor, Texas. The U.S. Congress is also set to review shipbuilding reforms in light of the Lee-Trump summit. These efforts reflect a broader strategy to strengthen the U.S.-South Korea alliance and counterbalance China's growing influence in shipbuilding and trade.