TCS

Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) hosted the Trilateral Entrepreneurs Forum (TEF) 2023 in Seoul May 10th 2023 under the theme of “Towards Green Growth: Clean Energy Transformation and Challenges in East Asia”. The Forum was supported by the China Chamber of International Commerce, Keidanren of Japan, the Federation of Korean Industries. As back-to-back event of the TEF2023, the TCS also hosted the Trilateral Women Startup Program (TWSP) to offer a lively and sustainable platform to unleash innovative ideas and potentials of women startups, thus pushing forward women economic empowerment.

Deputy Secretary-General SAKATA Natsuko, in her opening remarks, highly emphasized the necessity and importance of clean energy transformation for sustainable development, as well as the advanced achievements of China, Japan, and Korea in this field. Based on the leading technology and industrial development of the three countries, she encouraged TEF participants to share and learn from each other's professional experiences, conduct comprehensive discussions to update themselves on the respective topics, and explore the potential for cooperation in some specific areas.

At the plenary session, representatives from National Development and Reform Commission of China (NDRC), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (METI), Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy of Republic of Korea (MOTIE), and the International Energy Agency (IEA) first gave keynote speeches, introducing the policies and actions of the three countries in the field of clean energy, as well as their outlook for future energy transition. Entrepreneurs in the renewable energy and hydrogen energy sectors of China, Japan, and Korea also shared their achievements and challenges in the development, technology, and market of clean energy. Experts from international organizations and academia later provided comments from a scientific research perspective. After the presentations, all the participants also engaged in lively interactions and discussions on clean energy-related issues.

Trilateral Entrepreneurs Forum (TEF) is TCS’s annual event that provides a platform to connect, communicate and share innovative ideas in business sectors, as well as to promote cross-border business cooperation among the three countries. The Forum this year attracted around 300 of onsite and online general public from governmental agencies, business sectors, media and academia from the three countries and beyond.