President Moon Leaves Canberra for Sydney... Attends 'Critical Minerals Supply Chain' Meeting

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] President Moon Jae-in, who is on a state visit to Australia, completed his schedule in Canberra on the 14th (local time) and moved to Sydney to attend a 'critical minerals supply chain' meeting. The Blue House dismissed concerns that Australia might pressure South Korea to cooperate in encircling China in exchange for supplying critical minerals as "excessive."

On the morning of the same day, President Moon departed from Fairbairn Airbase in Canberra, Australia, receiving a ceremonial escort from the Australian protocol officers and domestic and foreign farewell personnel, heading to Sydney. Upon arrival in Sydney, President Moon met with Anthony Albanese, leader of the Australian opposition Labor Party, attended a luncheon hosted by Margaret Beazley, Governor of New South Wales, and his spouse, and then participated in a critical minerals meeting with Australian businesspeople at a hotel in Sydney.

Australia is a mineral resource-rich country, ranking second in the world in nickel, cobalt, and lithium reserves?key materials for electric vehicles and batteries?and ranking fourth and sixth in manganese and rare earth reserves, respectively. Through the 'Critical Minerals Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)' promoted during the Korea-Australia summit held the previous day, both countries agreed to cooperate to stabilize the global mineral supply chain.

In this context, some concerns have been raised that Australia might pressure South Korea to join efforts to check China, such as through AUKUS. Regarding this, Park Soo-hyun, Senior Secretary for Public Communication at the Blue House, appeared on CBS Radio and said, "We are not a country that would be pressured in Australia," adding, "It is not desirable to excessively interpret this beyond the current economic achievements we have made." President Moon will conclude his four-day state visit with a friendly dinner with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the evening and return to Korea on the 15th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.