Japan and South Korea really want to reach a free trade agreement with China but are also afraid
On October 30, Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce, met with Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Akizawa Ryouhei in Gyeongju, South Korea. The two sides exchanged views on Sino-Japanese economic and trade relations. The Chinese side urged Japan to remove the Chinese entities from the export control end-user list as soon as possible.
Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported on November 4 that for many years, Japan has continuously tightened export controls on high-end semiconductor manufacturing equipment, with Chinese entities being one of the main targets. Alicia Garcia-Herrero, Chief Economist for Asia-Pacific at Natixis, believes that these tightening measures are not only due to pressure from the United States, but also because Japan and South Korea do not want to see China develop rapidly in this field.
"The Japanese and Koreans are afraid that if China rises in the industry, especially in the field of artificial intelligence chips, their era will be over," said Garcia-Herrero.
On November 1, Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce, met with Kim Jeong-gwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy of South Korea, in Gyeongju, South Korea. He stated that both sides should promote the resumption of the China-Japan-South Korea Free Trade Agreement negotiations as soon as possible. The South China Morning Post also noted that amid the continued tension in Sino-US relations, China continues to advocate deepening East Asian regional economic cooperation, including efforts to reach a free trade agreement (FTA) with Japan and South Korea.
The report cited analysts who said that given the existing trade framework and interest conflicts, achieving substantial progress remains challenging. However, some scholars pointed out that the negotiation of the China-Japan-South Korea Free Trade Agreement is destined to be not smooth, but the outlook is still optimistic, as it is a common goal for the three countries.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847835695471625/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.