Korea-China Trade Ministers Meeting Held... Cooperation to Stabilize Critical Mineral Supply Chains

Minister Andeok Geun of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is speaking on current issues at the Supply Chain Stabilization Committee held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 25th. 2025.3.25 Photo by Jo Yongjun

The governments of South Korea and China have agreed to strengthen their cooperation framework to stabilize the supply chain of critical minerals.

On the 29th, An Deok-geun, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy of South Korea, held the "Korea-China Ministerial Meeting on Trade" in Seoul with Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce of China, to discuss cooperation measures and major trade issues amid changes in the global trade environment. This ministerial meeting between the two countries took place about a year after the meeting in San Francisco, USA, last November.

Both sides agreed to cooperate for the successful hosting of the APEC Trade Ministers' Meeting and economic events as the host countries of APEC in 2025 (South Korea) and 2026 (China). Furthermore, they decided to strengthen cooperation within multilateral trade systems such as the WTO and APEC.

Regarding the critical area of supply chain stabilization, they will share related policies and measures on a regular basis through a director-level "Supply Chain Hotline" and an "Export Control Dialogue," and expand cooperation with major Chinese provincial governments including Jiangsu, Guangdong, Shandong, and Liaoning.

Additionally, they agreed to jointly address local regulatory and customs clearance difficulties faced by companies operating in both countries.

South Korea and China are also scheduled to discuss trilateral cooperation measures with Japan at the Korea-China-Japan Economic and Trade Ministers' Meeting to be held on the 30th.