Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ken Saito, US Minister of Commerce Gina Raimondo and South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun pose for a press photo during the inaugural trilateral Trade and Industry Ministerial Meeting on the Department of Commerce in Washington, USA, June 26, 2024.
17:42 JST, June 27, 2024
WASHINGTON (Jiji Press) – Japan, the United States and South Korea agreed Wednesday to deepen cooperation to strengthen supply chains for semiconductors and critical minerals.
The three countries issued a joint statement after the opening meeting of their trade and industry ministers, expressing “concerns about the weaponization of economic dependence on certain sources of supply for strategic goods,” apparently with China in mind.
They also agreed to work together to ensure the safe use of artificial intelligence technology.
The meeting was attended by Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ken Saito, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun.
Before the meeting, the three officials discussed strengthening supply chains with Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, who joined them online.
“One country alone cannot strengthen supply chains, and cooperation among like-minded countries is crucial,” Saito told a news conference. He emphasized the importance of trilateral cooperation, noting that Japan had “strong industrial complementarity with South Korea.”
The statement called for boosting cooperation in areas such as semiconductors, AI, export management and supply chains.
