Japan seeks free, fair trade in talks with ASEAN amid tensions

KUALA LUMPUR - Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya called for a "free, fair and open" international economic order in his talks Thursday with his ASEAN counterparts in Malaysia, amid trade tensions stemming from the threat of steep U.S. tariffs against Japan and the group's members.

Noting the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations is "at the center of global growth," Iwaya said Japan is eager to strengthen cooperation with the regional bloc, adding its role has been "increasingly important for regional peace and prosperity."

With the tariffs proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump in mind, the Japanese minister stressed the need to "maintain and strengthen" the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core.

Trump has said the United States will impose a 25 percent tariff on imports from Japan starting Aug. 1, while goods from six ASEAN members will face up to 40 percent duties.

At the talks, ASEAN ministers pointed to the importance of ensuring freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and resolving disputes in the waters based on the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said, amid tensions between China and some ASEAN members over territorial rows.

The Japanese minister also unveiled Tokyo's plan to boost people-to-people exchanges with ASEAN nations, including the dispatch of some 600 "Japanese language partners" to the region by the end of March next year.

Iwaya separately met with his counterparts from the Mekong countries -- Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam -- and vowed to boost Japan's cooperation with them in such areas as disaster prevention, decarbonization and digitalization, as well as efforts to tackle cross-border crimes including online fraud.

The other ASEAN members are Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.

In a joint statement, Japan and the five Mekong countries underscored the need to address transboundary issues such as cybercrimes, online scams and money laundering.  Japanese nationals are among those involved in online fraud operations run by criminal organizations that have bases in Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia.

Japan and the Mekong nations also recognized the importance of holding a new round of summit meetings involving their leaders. They last held a leaders' gathering in a video conference format in 2020.

Ref :   Kyodo News