Trilateral Agricultural Talks Resume After 7 Years... Regular Meetings to Promote Sustainable Agriculture and Strengthen Food Security

Agriculture Ministers of Korea, China, and Japan Meet for the First Time in Seven Years
Agreement Reached on Continued Consultations for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security

The agriculture ministers of Korea, China, and Japan convened for the first time in seven years and agreed to continue discussions aimed at sustainable agricultural development and strengthening food security.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 11th that it held the 4th Korea-China-Japan Agriculture Ministers' Meeting at Incheon Paradise Hotel, with Shinjiro Koizumi, Japan’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and Jun Han, China’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, in attendance.

At the 4th Korea-China-Japan Agriculture Ministers' Meeting held on the 11th at Incheon Paradise Hotel, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minyoung Song (center), Shinjiro Koizumi, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (left), and Jun Han, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, are taking a commemorative photo. (Photo by Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)

This meeting was resumed after seven years, following the 3rd meeting held in Beijing, China in 2018. The significance lies in the full-scale resumption of agricultural consultations among the three countries, which had been suspended due to COVID-19.

The meeting focused on six key topics: food security, response to animal diseases, sustainable agriculture, revitalization of rural areas, cooperation on Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), and global cooperation. The ministers from each country shared updates on their domestic policies and experiences, and exchanged substantive and in-depth views on the direction of future cooperation.

In particular, the three countries confirmed the importance of information sharing and joint response, based on a shared understanding of the complex challenges facing agriculture, including the climate crisis, the spread of transboundary infectious diseases, and supply chain instability. Accordingly, they agreed to expand mutually complementary cooperation, focusing on each country’s core policies such as the development of smart agriculture technologies, transition to carbon-neutral agriculture, and fostering young farmers.

Additionally, they agreed to pursue concrete action items such as expanding exchange programs for young farmers, regularizing meetings of chief veterinary officers, sharing experiences among countries based on Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems, jointly developing climate-smart agricultural technologies, and holding policy seminars. Through these efforts, the three countries aim to build a practical cooperation model that goes beyond simple information exchange and takes into account policy linkages and on-the-ground applicability.

After the meeting, the three ministers adopted and signed a joint declaration, agreeing to regularize and institutionalize these meetings in order to promote sustainable development in agriculture and strengthen food security in the future.

The next meeting is scheduled to be held in Japan. The three countries plan to coordinate closely to maintain continuity and ensure effective implementation of the discussions held this time.

Minister Song stated, "In a rapidly changing agricultural environment marked by the climate crisis and supply chain instability, the very fact that the three countries gathered to share concerns and seek solutions is highly meaningful," adding, "I hope that the discussions initiated at this meeting will lead to deeper and more substantive cooperation going forward."

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