Minister Akazawa Visits China

1. APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting

Under the chairmanship of H.E. Mr. Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, the host economy in 2026, an APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting was held in Suzhou, China. Minister Akazawa participated in the meeting as a representative of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). (Mr. Horii Iwao, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, also participated as a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

At the meeting, participants held proactive discussions according to the agenda on topics such as building an open, predictable regional and multilateral trade and economic order, and strengthening new driving forces for innovative and vibrant trade and investment cooperation.

The main remarks made by Minister Akazawa were as follows:

• In response to the current international situation, we will promote the POWERR Asia initiative, which supports the immediate procurement of petroleum products and the diversification of energy and critical mineral procurement in the medium to long term, in order to strengthen the resilience of supply chains in the Asia-Pacific region, which is facing instability.
• Regarding the restoration and strengthening of the WTO's functions, under the emphasis on fair competition conditions, we will proceed with understanding the actual situation and improving transparency regarding notifications to the WTO, and considering ideas for updating the WTO rules, in order to address non-market policies and practices that create excess capacity.
• It is crucial to strengthen collaboration among mutually trustworthy economies in the Asia-Pacific region for the development and implementation of AI. We will lead discussions to realize a high-quality regulatory framework that embodies the Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT).
• From the perspective of fostering a healthy competitive environment for green industry, it is important to adopt an approach that respects differences while promoting decarbonization of industries and supply chains, based on the various pathways concept advocated by AZEC.

As outcome documents the meeting adopted a joint statement of the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting and also issued the APEC Roadmap for Innovative, Competitive and Resilient Services (ARICRS).

2. Bilateral meetings with participants in the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting

Minister Akazawa exchanged views with representatives of participating economies on cooperation in making the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting successful as well as on bilateral economic ties.

(1) Meeting with H.E. Ms. Ma. Cristina A. Roque, Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, the Republic of the Philippines

During the meeting with Secretary Christina Roque, both sides confirmed their commitment to ensuring regional energy resilience under the POWERR Asia initiative, as well as the direction of cooperation with ASEAN, which is chaired by the Philippines this year. They also discussed cooperation in regional economic integration, including RCEP.

(2) Meeting with H.E. Mr. Todd McClay, Minister for Trade and Investment of New Zealand

During the meeting with Minister Todd McClay, the two ministers discussed ensuring regional energy resilience under the POWERR Asia initiative, as well as cooperation in trade areas such as WTO reform, CPTPP, and RCEP, and in economic security areas.

(3) Talk with H.E. Mr. Johari Abdul Ghani, Minister of Investment, Trade & Industry of Malaysia

Minister Akazawa talked with Minister of Investment, Trade & Industry Johari Abdul Ghani and confirmed the direction of bilateral cooperation in industrial sectors such as critical minerals and the deepening of business relations.

(4) Talk with Senator the Hon Don Farrell, Minister for Trade and Tourism of Australia

During the meeting with Minister Don Farrell, they discussed future cooperation, including a follow-up to the Sixth Japan-Australia Ministerial Economic Dialogue held on May 19.

3. Test ride of autonomous taxi service at Nissan Mobility Service Co., Ltd. and visit to Mitsubishi Electric Intelligent Manufacturing Technology (China) Group Co., Ltd.

Minister Akazawa took a test ride in an autonomous taxi provided by Nissan Mobility Service Co., Ltd. in Xiangcheng District, Suzhou, and also visited Mitsubishi Electric Intelligent Manufacturing Technology (China) Group Co., Ltd. to observe a humanoid robot developed by a local company that is a collaborative partner of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation.

Related Materials

• 2026 APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting Joint Statement (Suzhou Statement)(PDF:184KB)
• APEC Group on Services (GOS) APEC Roadmap for Innovative, Competitive and Resilience Services(PDF:358KB)

Division in Charge

APEC Office, Trade Policy Bureau