Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat

Seminar & Forum 2025 Trilateral Economic Seminar 2025-06-17

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On June 17, 2025, the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) and Hubei Provincial Government jointly hosted the 2025 Trilateral Economic Seminar (TES) in Wuhan, China. The opening ceremony was attended by Mr. LIU Xuerong, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of Hubei Provincial People's Congress, along with over 200 policymakers, academics and industry leaders from China, Japan and the ROK.

At the opening ceremony, Secretary-General LEE Hee-sup officially launched the 2025 Trilateral Economic Report (TER), emphasizing its recognition as a key policy reference by trade ministers of the three countries. Highlighting how China, Japan and the ROK collectively account for nearly one-quarter of global GDP and one-fifth of world trade, SG LEE stressed the urgent need to enhance cooperation amid growing protectionism and demographic challenges. He called for accelerated negotiations on the China-Japan-Korea Free Trade Agreement while deepening implementation of RCEP, noting that achieving convergence between RCEP and CPTPP would significantly advance progress toward a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific. Drawing parallels to how past economic crises had strengthened trilateral ties, SG LEE emphasized that current challenges in semiconductors, green technology and digital transformation present new opportunities for collaborative solutions.

Session 1 brought together the TER authors to present the report's main findings, including PAN Yichen from Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, URATA Shujiro from Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI), JEONG Hyung-Gon from Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP), and Allen NG & WU Yuhong from ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO). The presentation was followed by commentary from representatives of CCPIT, JETRO and KOTRA, focused on practical strategies to strengthen RCEP implementation and advance CJK FTA negotiations, with particular attention to government-led initiatives for building more stable supply chains.

Session 2 examined RCEP's regional integration and industrial supply chain connectivity from local government and corporate perspectives. Moderated by WANG Haobin from AMRO, the session featured insights from Xiaogan Hi-Tech Zone, KIEP Beijing Office, and business representatives including MUFG Bank, offering diverse viewpoints on deepening trilateral economic cooperation.

As part of the TES agenda, TCS Program Officer XIE Tianyi presented key statistics from the TER, demonstrating the three economies' strong interdependence through trade and investment flows. He introduced the newly updated Trilateral Statistics Hub as an important resource for researchers and policymakers, highlighting its role in providing data-driven analysis of regional economic trends and cooperation mechanisms.

The seminar concluded with strong consensus on the importance of evidence-based policymaking and expanded multilateral engagement. After the seminar, SG LEE had an interview with the Hubei Television and shared his insights on the trilateral cooperation and beyond. The next TES is scheduled to be held in Republic of Korea.