Korea's trade chief to attend APEC trade ministers' meeting in Detroit

Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun attends the 2+2 ministerial meeting between Korea and Canada held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in central Seoul on May 16. [YONHAP]

Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun will attend this week's meeting of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade ministers in Detroit, his office said Thursday.

The annual APEC trade ministers' meeting was to take place Thursday through Friday, to be chaired by the United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai, for discussions on ways to strengthen the multilateral trading system and to beef up the role of trade for sustainable and inclusive growth, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

During the meeting, Ahn plans to present Korea's major policy measures to contribute to the multilateral trading system and ways of global cooperation to achieve the goal in an effort to better respond to fast-changing trade circumstances amid the spread of protectionism that reshapes global supply chains.

"As the Asia-Pacific region emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, our agenda will provide an opportunity for members to engage and zero in on how we can ensure international cross-border trade flows smoothly, and how trade can help us address the region's most pressing challenges from climate change to economic inequality," Rebecca Sta Maria, executive director of the APEC Secretariat, was quoted as saying by her office.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Ahn plans to meet with his counterparts from major APEC member nations to discuss industry, trade, energy, and a wide range of pending issues and ways of cooperation, the ministry said.

Yonhap