Asia-Europe Meeting (Source: VNA) Seoul (VNA) - Economic ministers at the Asia-EuropeMeeting (ASEM) have agreed to raise voice against rising protectionism trend andboost cooperation in digital infrastructure to facilitate trade and investment.
Speaking to the press on September 22 following the 7th ASEM economic ministers’ meeting in Seoul, the Republic of Korea (RoK), thehost country’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Paik Un-gyu said themeeting discussed a wide range of issues, including trade, technologyinnovation and environment.
Officials voiced their support for free trade and amultilateral trading system against protectionism and agreed to further discussthe issue at the 11th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization(WTO) scheduled for December.
ASEM partners vowed to discuss priorities and directions ofcooperation with regard to trade and investment collaboration in the ASEMregion, in consideration of the transformation in economic environment.
According to Park, they also discussed ways to enhancedigital connectivity between Asia and Europe to embrace the explosive growth ofe-commerce, and agreed to step up joint work in transportation, logistics andenergy.
Ministers also pledged to actively implement the ParisAgreement in the ASEM region.
The outcomes of the meeting will be reported to the ASEMSummit scheduled for 2018 in Brussels.
At the end of the meeting, officials agreed to hold themeeting every two years and set the next venue in Europe.
The two-day meeting started on September 21, attracting 250economic and trade ministers, senior officials from 51 countries worldwide. Itwas the first in 12 years after the last meeting was held in the Netherlands in2005.
ASEM was established in 1996 to boost ties between Asian andEuropean countries. It comprises 20 Asian and 31 European nations, as well asASEAN and the European Union.-VNA
Speaking to the press on September 22 following the 7th ASEM economic ministers’ meeting in Seoul, the Republic of Korea (RoK), thehost country’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Paik Un-gyu said themeeting discussed a wide range of issues, including trade, technologyinnovation and environment.
Officials voiced their support for free trade and amultilateral trading system against protectionism and agreed to further discussthe issue at the 11th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization(WTO) scheduled for December.
ASEM partners vowed to discuss priorities and directions ofcooperation with regard to trade and investment collaboration in the ASEMregion, in consideration of the transformation in economic environment.
According to Park, they also discussed ways to enhancedigital connectivity between Asia and Europe to embrace the explosive growth ofe-commerce, and agreed to step up joint work in transportation, logistics andenergy.
Ministers also pledged to actively implement the ParisAgreement in the ASEM region.
The outcomes of the meeting will be reported to the ASEMSummit scheduled for 2018 in Brussels.
At the end of the meeting, officials agreed to hold themeeting every two years and set the next venue in Europe.
The two-day meeting started on September 21, attracting 250economic and trade ministers, senior officials from 51 countries worldwide. Itwas the first in 12 years after the last meeting was held in the Netherlands in2005.
ASEM was established in 1996 to boost ties between Asian andEuropean countries. It comprises 20 Asian and 31 European nations, as well asASEAN and the European Union.-VNA
VNA
