Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivered a speech at the 30th Nikkei Forum “Future of Asia” held in Tokyo on May 29. Shigeru Ishiba said that in order to achieve further economic growth under the Asian free trade system, Japan will work to promote the expansion of the “Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership” (CPTPP). He made it clear that “we will explore dialogue with ASEAN and the European Union (EU).”
The 30th Nikkei Forum “Future of Asia” opened in Tokyo on the same day. Shigeru Ishiba warned of the current US tariff measures and other issues: “Tensions around international trade are rapidly increasing.”
In his speech, Shigeru Ishiba mentioned that protectionism and inward-looking thinking are increasing globally, and Japan will firmly support the free trade system, calling on “Asian countries to work together to show the world the importance of a rules-based, free and fair economic order.”
As one of the strategies to promote this goal, Shigeru Ishiba proposed the importance of promoting CPTPP. Shigeru Ishiba said: “CPTPP covers a wide range of areas and formulates high-standard unified rules, which will not only bring economic benefits, but also contribute to world peace and prosperity”, emphasizing that “Japan will play a leading role in this process and actively promote the expansion and upgrading of the framework”.
CPTPP is not limited to the reduction of tariffs on goods, but also involves services, investment liberalization, intellectual property rights and other fields. It is a multilateral agreement to promote economic vitality. As of December 2024, the United Kingdom officially joined, bringing the number of member states to 12. Among ASEAN countries, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam are already members.
Shigeru Ishiba also said that Japan will take CPTPP as the core, strengthen cooperation with ASEAN and the EU, and play a leading role. Japan has currently signed an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU. Globally, in response to the US tariff policy, the call to emphasize the importance of free trade and promote cooperation between like-minded countries and regions is rising.
source: 《International Business News》