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U.S. trade representative arrives in Korea for APEC trade ministers' meeting

Published: 14 May. 2025, 20:50

YOON SO-YEON
[email protected]

United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speaks to the media at White House, Washington, on May 8, 2025. [EPA/YONHAP]

U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer arrived in Korea on Wednesday evening to meet with trade ministers at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting and later sit down for a meeting with Seoul's trade chief this week.

Greer arrived at Incheon International Airport at around 6:10 p.m. He left the airport without taking reporters' questions.

Greer is set to attend the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, slated for Thursday and Friday at the International Convention Center on Jeju Island.

On Friday, Greer will hold talks with Ahn Duk-geun, Seoul's minister of trade, industry and energy on the sidelines of the APEC meeting, according to government officials.

The two sides are expected to discuss follow-up measures to the high-level trade consultations between Korea and the United States, which took place last month in Washington.

Seoul and Washington kicked off their trade talks in April, agreeing to craft a “package” deal on new U.S. tariffs and economic cooperation issues by early July, when U.S. President Donald Trump's 90-day pause on “reciprocal” duties will end.

The Trump administration imposed country-specific reciprocal tariffs, including 25 percent duties on Korea, effective from April 9, only to place a 90-day pause on them shortly afterward to allow for negotiations.

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer address the media after trade talks with China in Geneva, Switzerland, May 11, 2025. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Seoul has reportedly proposed expanding bilateral cooperation in the shipbuilding and energy sectors as part of efforts to lower U.S. tariffs on Korean goods.

Observers are also eyeing the possibility of a meeting between the USTR and China's new trade representative, Li Chenggang, during the Jeju event.

Earlier this week, the U.S. and China jointly announced they have reached a deal in a high-stakes dialogue in Geneva to temporarily reduce tariffs for 90 days for further negotiations.

Under the agreement, the U.S. plans to lower its tariffs on Chinese goods to 30 percent from the current 145 percent, while Chinese tariffs on U.S. goods will be cut to 10 percent from 125 percent.

The upcoming trade ministers' meeting will be attended by the trade chiefs of 21 APEC member economies, including the U.S. and China, as well as senior officials from the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to government officials.

The meeting will mainly discuss three agenda items — trade facilitation, multilateralism and sustainable trade — amid growing global trade protectionism, sparked by Washington's tariff scheme.

BY YOON SO-YEON, YONHAP [[email protected]]