Government Strengthens Trade Cooperation with ASEAN... Requests Support for Busan Expo

Andukgeun, Chief Negotiator for Trade, Attends ASEAN Meeting in Cambodia

Ahn Deok-geun, Director-General for Trade at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, attending the "10th East Asia Summit (EAS) Economic Ministers' Meeting" held in Siem Reap, Cambodia on the 17th.
[Photo by Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy]

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Lee Junhyung] The government has decided to strengthen trade cooperation with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that Ahn Deokgeun, the head of the Trade Negotiation Headquarters, attended the ASEAN-related Economic Ministers' Meeting held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from the 16th to the 18th, and agreed to enhance trade cooperation.

At the '19th Korea-ASEAN Economic Ministers' Meeting' held on the 16th, Ahn first discussed expanding industrial technology cooperation projects such as production technology and standardization, as well as strengthening supply chain cooperation. During this meeting, the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish the Korea-ASEAN Industrial Innovation Organization was also finalized. Ahn proposed the establishment of the Korea-ASEAN Standard Cooperation Network and reviewed the progress of the industrial technology and standard cooperation platform.

The 'Korea-ASEAN Startup Policy Roadmap' for startup cooperation between Korea and ASEAN was also finally approved. Ahn agreed to jointly conduct research with ASEAN countries on further liberalization of sensitive items and improvement of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). They also agreed to actively discuss ways to expand trade norms and cooperation in response to the global digital transformation. Ahn said, "In the rapidly changing trade environment, close cooperation between Korea and ASEAN must be strengthened on new trade issues such as supply chains, digital transformation, and climate change response."

Anduk Geun, Head of Trade Negotiations at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (right), held a meeting on the 18th in Siem Reap, Cambodia, with Tim Ayres, Deputy Secretary for Trade and Manufacturing at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (left), to discuss supply chain cooperation measures.
[Photo by Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy]

Ahn also attended the '25th ASEAN+3 (Korea-China-Japan) Economic Ministers' Meeting' held on the previous day (17th). The three countries?Korea, China, and Japan?and the 10 ASEAN countries reviewed recent economic cooperation achievements and adopted the 'ASEAN+3 Economic Cooperation Work Program 2023-2024.' Through this program, the three countries and ASEAN plan to increase the utilization of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and strengthen digital economy cooperation over the next two years.

Additionally, Ahn reviewed regional economic trends at the '10th East Asia Summit (EAS) Economic Ministers' Meeting' held on the 17th. The 18 economic ministers attending the EAS meeting agreed to strengthen cooperation among member countries for economic recovery after COVID-19 and implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

On the same day, Ahn also attended the '1st RCEP Ministerial Meeting' and shared Korea's progress in promoting RCEP utilization. Discussions were held on establishing an implementation system, including the establishment of RCEP subsidiary bodies and a secretariat. Ahn said, "India's participation in RCEP can contribute to enhancing intra-regional trade and cooperation," and added, "Efforts by member countries are needed for India's participation in RCEP."

Meanwhile, in Cambodia, Ahn held consecutive bilateral talks with Philip Twyford, New Zealand's Minister of Trade and Export Growth, and Tim Ayres, Australia's Deputy Minister for Trade and Manufacturing at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Ahn discussed cooperation measures on key raw material supply chains and trade issues with the Australian and New Zealand sides. During the bilateral talks, Ahn also requested support for hosting the 2030 Busan World Expo.

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