PRESS RELEASES

SEOM-METI Consultations and SEOM+3 Consultations

20 May 2014

   The 2nd Meeting of the ASEAN Senior Economic Officials (SEOM) for 45th ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting (AEM) and Other Related Meetings were held from 22 to 25 April 2014 in Solo, Indonesia. Japanese delegation comprising representatives from Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Mission of Japan to ASEAN and so forth took part in the SEOM-METI Consultations on 24 April and SEOM+3 (Japan, China and Korea) Consultations on April 25. These meetings were held as preparatory meetings for the AEM meeting and related meetings scheduled in the late August this year.

   In the SEOM-METI Consultations, participants agreed to work harder for remaining issues in the negotiations on the Services and Investment Chapters of the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership (AJCEP) Agreement, which reached substantial conclusion and was welcomed by the Leaders at the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit Meeting in December last year. In addition, participants exchanged their views on project proposals which were under 3 pillars of this year’s ASEAN-Japan economic cooperation, namely enhancing trade and investment, SME (small and medium enterprise) cooperation, and nurturing new industry. Moreover, discussion took place for the direction of improvement of ASEAN-Japan 10-year Strategic Economic Cooperation Roadmap.

   In the SEOM+3 Consultations, information on SME cooperation projects conducted by ASEAN-Japan Centre, ASEAN-China Centre and ASEAN-Korea Centre respectively was shared among participants, and the importance of sharing information among the three institutions to make projects more useful was pointed out. Moreover, Participants of +3 countries shared progress of the negotiations on China-Japan-Korea Free Trade Agreement (CJK FTA).

   The next SEOM and related meetings are scheduled in July in Myanmar. Japan will go through the preparation energetically towards the AEM related meetings in August.