SEOUL– South Korea and the United States will hold vice-ministerial economic talks in Seoul next week on ways for closer cooperation in supply chains of key industries, infrastructure and technology sectors, according to Seoul officials Friday.
Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon and Jose Fernandez, U.S. undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment will lead the sixth annual Senior Economic Dialogue (SED) slated for Friday, they said.
It will be the first time for Fernandez to visit Seoul since taking office in August.
During the trip, Fernandez is expected to meet senior officials from the finance ministry, with infrastructure projects likely to be high on the agenda, according to informed sources.
Washington has been pushing to build a global supply chain less dependent on China, including an envisioned initiative called Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
The two sides are expected to touch on bolstering ties in some key industries, including semiconductors and batteries, and other technology sectors.
Follow-up measures on bolstering vaccine partnership are likely to be another major agenda item, as the allies’ leaders agreed to work together to expand manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 vaccines during their Washington summit in May.
Source: Yonhap News Agency