S. Korea and U.S. Trade Leaders Set to Discuss Tariff Deal
S Korea-US-trade talks
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — On Friday, South Korean trade minister Ahn Duk-geun was scheduled to meet with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer during an APEC gathering of trade ministers in Jeju, according to officials. The discussions were expected to take place on the side lines of this event.
The conference scheduled on South Korea’s southernJeju Island will take place roughly three weeks following their previous meeting in Washington for upper-leveltrade talks. During this session, both parties concurred to aimfor a comprehensive agreement addressingU.S.tariffsand matterspertaining toeconomic collaborationbyJuly 8th.
Greer is attending the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade conference on Jeju, which is set to conclude its two-day schedule later today.
In the upcoming meeting, Ahn is expected to discuss follow-up measures to the Washington agreement, hoping to develop a more detailed framework for further trade negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
A month ago, Seoul and Washington concurred on concentrating their discussions into four areas: tariffs and non-tariff barriers, economic security, investment collaboration, and monetary policies.
South Korea has been trying to secure a decrease or exception from American tariffs, such as the 25 percent retaliatory charges that have currently been put on hold for ninety days.
On Thursday, Greer met with South Korea’s Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo to talk about unresolved trade matters between them and the status of Washington’s trade talks with various nations, as per Cheong’s office.
Earlier in the day, Greer met with executives of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. in Jeju to discuss bilateral cooperation in shipbuilding.
Shipbuilding cooperation is one of the key agenda items of the Seoul-Washington trade negotiations amid the Trump administration’s push to rebuild America’s shipbuilding sector. South Korea is a global leader in the shipbuilding industry.
Last month, U.S. Secretary of the Navy John Phelan visited South Korea to tour HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Ulsan headquarters and Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje shipyard.
Following his visit, Phelan told Yonhap News Agency in an exclusive written interview that the U.S. Navy supports increased cooperation with South Korean shipyards as part of a wider initiative aimed at rejuvenating America’s naval manufacturing sector.
nyway@yna.co.kr
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