Asia Pacific trade envoys to discuss multilateral cooperation in tariff era

13/5/2025 15:17

Asia-Pacific trade envoys will gather this week in South Korea for discussions on multilateral cooperation, with talks taking place at a time when countries are scrambling to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs.



Trade representatives of 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation grouping will attend two days of meetings starting Thursday in South Korea's resort island of Jeju, as part of a second round of senior officials' meetings ahead of an annual APEC leaders summit later this year.



The APEC trade envoys gathering comes amid growing protectionism triggered by Trump's tariffs, which have targeted more than half of the bloc. APEC accounts for about half of global trade and 60% of global GDP.



Participants will attend closed-door sessions on broad topics ranging from multilateral trade to revitalisation and sustainability, with the official agenda expected to include the role and reform priorities of the World Trade Organization amid current global challenges.