Asia Pacific trade envoys to discuss multilateral cooperation in tariff era

SEOUL - 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 Trumps 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 Koreas 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 Trumps 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.

The officials are also expected to discuss other topics such as advancing the free trade area of the Asia-Pacific region, boosting digital trade, ramping up artificial intelligence readiness, and driving sustainable, inclusive growth.

The Trump administration views the WTO as a body that has enabled China to gain an unfair export advantage and has recently moved to pause U.S. funding to the body.

Last month, the WTO sharply cut its forecast for global merchandise trade from solid growth to a decline, saying U.S. tariffs and the spillover impact could lead to the heaviest trade slump since the height of the COVID pandemic.

Trump has introduced high tariffs against rival China, neighbours Canada and Mexico, Asian allies Japan and South Korea, and several Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, among other trading partners.

BILATERAL TALKS

On the sidelines of the gathering, U.S.