Seminar & Forum TCS hosted the 4th CJK FTA Seminar / Business Networking Reception in Seoul, ROK 2016.04.07
The Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) hosted the 4th CJK FTA Seminar on April 7, 2016, in Seoul, ROK, in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea (ROK); Ministry of Commerce of China; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan; and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. The Seminar was held back-to-back with the 10th CJK FTA Negotiation (DDG/DG). 

In the opening session of the Seminar, Secretary-General YANG Houlan expressed the importance that the CJK FTA will create a mega market with 21% of world population and 21% of world GDP, which will not only benefit each country, but also be helpful to form a fundamental of economic integration in this region. 

Also during the opening session, the chief negotiators of CJK FTA from the three countries namely, Ms. YOO Myunghee, Director-General for FTA negotiations and East Asia FTA, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) of ROK; Mr. SATO Tatsuo, Deputy Director-General of Economic Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Japan; and Mr. HONG Xiaodong, Deputy Director-General, Department of International Trade and Economic Affairs, Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) of China, delivered remarks and all shared the view that CJK FTA will be a great opportunity for the three countries to gain potential for invigorating their economies and enhance towards East Asian economic integration. 

In the following 2 sessions, the moderators, speakers and panelists from various sectors of the government, business and academia made comments on the agenda of the 1) necessity of CJK FTA for the development of trilateral cooperation and 2) the significance of CJK FTA in the context of economic integration in the Asian Pacific. Following each session, the session was open to the floor, in which the speakers had in-depth discussion with the general audience on the importance of CJK FTA. 

Concluding the Seminar, Dr. CHOI Byung-il, Professor of GSIS, Ewha Womans University, made a closing statement on the collective internal and external challenges of the three countries, and how CJK FTA can help to address these challenges. In the closing remarks, Deputy Secretary-General LEE Jong-heon, emphasized the significance of CJK FTA for the East Asian economic integration and hoped that the CJK FTA negotiation will conclude with high mutual benefits for all three countries. 

The Seminar was followed by Trilateral Business Networking Reception, where the representatives of major business organizations of the three countries namely, Mr. EOM Chi-Sung, Deputy Secretary General, Head of International Affairs Division, Federation of Korean Industries (FKI); Mr. TAKASUGI Nobuya, Honorary Advisor of Seoul Japan Club; and Mr. HAN Ruixiang, President of China Chamber of Commerce in Korea recognized the importance of building up networks for new business opportunities and sharing a future vision of trilateral industrial cooperation. 

Opening Remarks by SG YANG Houlan 
CJK FTA Seminar Group Photo 
Session I : Prof. LEE Chang-jae
Session II : Prof. WATANABE Yorizumi
Closing Remarks by DSG LEE Jong-heon 
Trilateral Business Networking Reception Group Photo