The industrial ministers of South Korea, the United States, and Japan gathered to enhance cooperation in the supply chain and advanced technology sectors, including semiconductors, critical minerals, and clean energy.
The South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy announced on the 26th that Minister Ahn Duk Geun, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, and Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Saito Ken convened the First Trilateral Industrial Ministers’ Meeting in Washington D.C.
The meeting, which followed the agreement between the leaders of the three countries at Camp David in August 2023, adopted a joint declaration outlining measures to promote the development of core and emerging technologies and enhance the economic security of all three nations.
The three countries will cooperate in semiconductors, critical minerals, supply chains, protection of advanced technology, export control coordination, AI, cybersecurity, standards, and more.
They also reached a consensus to enhance cooperation in the clean energy sector and within the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).
Through the declaration, they stated, “Our common goal is to utilize the trilateral mechanism to advance the development of core and emerging technologies and enhance the economic security and resilience of the three countries. We prioritize cooperation to strengthen supply chain resilience in critical sectors such as semiconductors and batteries.”
They continued, “Close cooperation is urgently needed to identify potential supply chain vulnerabilities due to a wide range of non-market policies and practices. We expressed shared concerns about the potential weaponization of economic dependence on specific suppliers of strategic items,” expressing their stance on China’s containment.
Ahn emphasized, “South Korea, the United States, and Japan are optimal partners leading in advanced technology and technological innovation. We will work together to overcome the global supply chain crises.” He highlighted, “We expect future trilateral industrial ministerial meetings to deepen and enhance industrial cooperation among the three countries and serve as an institutional basis for jointly addressing global risks.”
The three countries plan to hold the Trilateral Industrial Ministers’ Meeting annually and continue ongoing working-level cooperation to advance discussions among the three ministers.