Mechanisms 13th Trilateral Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting
2025-03-30
分享到微信朋友圈
TCS Secretary-General LEE Hee-sup attended the 13th Trilateral Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Seoul, ROK on March 30, 2025. Held for the first time in six years since December 2019, the Meeting discussed follow-up measures for the 9th Trilateral Summit in May 2024. The meeting was chaired by Mr. AHN Dukgeun, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) of the ROK, and attended by Mr. MUTO Yoji, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan, and Mr. WANG Wentao, Minister of Commerce (MOFCOM) of China. The three economic Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to cooperating for the prosperity and stability of both the regional and global economies, agreeing to continuously expand economic and trade cooperation.
In his remarks, SG LEE emphasized the continuous momentum of trilateral cooperation revitalized by the Trilateral Summit last May, which paved the way for resuming exchanges and cooperation across both public and private sectors, breaking away from long-standing stagnation. He noted the significance of the Trilateral Economic Report (TER) operating as an official cooperative project under the ministerial process since February 2025. He spoke positively of China’s visa-free policy for Korea and Japan, which increased the number of mutual visitors by 60% in the past three months, and welcomed Korea’s plan to implement visa-free measures for Chinese group tourists for the Gyeongju APEC in late October, expecting these changes to greatly contribute to economic and tourism exchanges and business opportunities in the near future among the three countries.
During the meeting, the three countries agreed to closely cooperate on multilateral trade issues, including WTO reform, new membership in RCEP, and a comprehensive, high-level Trilateral FTA. They congratulated each other on the successful 9th Asian Winter Asian Games in Harbin and agreed to collaborate on upcoming international events, including the 2025 Osaka-Kansai EXPO, the 2025 Korea APEC, and the 2026 China APEC. Additionally, they agreed to strengthen cooperation in industrial and energy sectors to create a predictable business environment, stabilize supply chains, enhance communication regarding export controls, and achieve green and digital economies, while also cooperating closely at the local level, including the 23rd Yellow Sea Rim Economic and Technological Conference scheduled for November 2025 in Daejeon, ROK.
In the Joint Media Statement of the Ministers’ Meeting, the Ministers acknowledged TCS’ contribution to the trilateral economic mechanism and cooperation through the TER and Trilateral Entrepreneurs Forum (TEF). The three ministers reiterated their support for the TER as valuable resource for policy development and economic cooperation, agreed to facilate economic exchange, cooperation and information sharing based on the report, and encouraged the development of future publications. The Ministers also commended the outcome of the TEF, recognizing the contribution of digital transformation to regional economic recovery and integation, and pledging to advance digital cooperation through multilateral frameworks.
The 14th Trilateral Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting will be held in Japan.
▲ Group photo
▲ Meeting in progress
▲SG LEE Hee-sup delivering opening remark
Documents
- 2019 Trilateral Statistics
- Joint Media Statement of the 12th Trilateral Economic and Trade Ministers Meeting
- Joint Statement of The 11th Trilateral Economic and Trade Ministers's Meeting
- Joint Press Release of the 9th Trilateral Economic and Trade Ministers Meeting
- Joint Statement of the 8th Trilateral Economic and Trade Ministers Meeting
- Joint Press Release of The 7th Economic and Trade Ministers' Meeting
- Joint Statement of The 6th Trilateral Economic & Trade Ministers’ Meeting
