Korean Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun, center, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, right, and Japanese Trade Minister Yoji Muto pose for a photo ahead of their trilateral trade ministers' meeting in Seoul, March 30. Yonhap

The top trade officials of Korea, China and Japan on Sunday discussed bolstering trade cooperation among the three countries in their first trilateral ministerial meeting in six years, held amid growing protectionism and tensions in the global trade market.

The 13th Trilateral Economic and Trade Ministers' Meeting among the Republic of Korea, Japan and the People's Republic of China took place in Seoul, involving Korean Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and Japanese Trade Minister Yoji Muto.

It marked the first time since December 2019 that the industry ministers of the three nations held a trilateral meeting, as well as the first such meeting taking place in Seoul in 10 years. The 2019 meeting was held in Beijing. Sunday's meeting was a follow-up to the summit of the three countries' leaders held in Seoul last year.

"Amid the rapidly changing global economic and trade environment, the meeting of the three countries' trade ministers for the first time in six years carries significant resonance not only for the three nations but also for the international community," Ahn said in his opening remarks.

He called for efforts to create a "stable" environment for global trade by restoring the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Ahn also urged the three countries to join hands to respond to current issues in the global trade market, such as the rise of new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation of economies and supply chain cooperation on critical minerals.

Sunday's meeting drew keen attention as it was held just a few days before U.S. President Donald Trump's administration plans to announce reciprocal tariffs.

Korea, China and Japan are all expected to be included on the list of countries subject to the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.

The U.S. had the biggest trade deficit with China last year, and Japan and Korea were the seventh and eighth largest contributors to the U.S. trade deficit, respectively.

In a joint statement released after the meeting, the three ministers said they support the "rules-based, open, inclusive, transparent, non-discriminatory multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core."

The ministers called for the reform of the WTO to strengthen its functions, including negotiations, monitoring, deliberation and dispute settlement, as part of efforts to help the organization better respond to current trade challenges.

In particular, Wang Liping, director general of Asian affairs department at China's commerce ministry, said in a joint press briefing that China, Korea and Japan should oppose protectionist trade policies as major players in the global and regional economies and protect the multilateral trade system.

China wishes to join hands with Korea and Japan to jointly respond to "new challenges in the global economy," he said.

The meeting showed the three countries are not active supporters of trade protectionism, an official from Seoul's industry ministry told reporters on the condition of anonymity.

Korean Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun speaks at the 13th Trilateral Economic and Trade Ministers' Meeting among the Republic of Korea, Japan and the People's Republic of China in Seoul, March 30. Yonhap

Ahn told the three-way meeting that uncertainties in the global trade market have increased due to protectionist policies of major economies and that trade protectionism cannot be the right answer, according to the official.

In Sunday's meeting, the three ministers also agreed to speed up negotiations for the proposed trilateral free trade agreement (FTA) to realize a high-quality and mutually beneficial FTA while advancing the regional comprehensive economic partnership (RCEP), the joint statement read.

RCEP is one of the world's biggest free trade agreements, which Korea, China and Japan have signed. The 15 member nations of RCEP account for around 30 percent of the global gross domestic product, population and trade volume.

Ahn, Wentao and Muto also agreed to boost cooperation on creating a "predictable" and "reliable" business environment to foster "free, open, fair, non-discriminatory and transparent" trade in the region, and exchanged opinions on measures to stabilize supply chains and export control issues, according to the statement.

To foster sustainable growth, Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo will work together to strengthen cooperation on carbon-free energy technologies, including renewables, nuclear power and hydrogen, and advance digital cooperation, they said.

The ministers also discussed bolstering cooperation for the successful hosting of the Osaka Expo, set to kick off next month in Japan, and the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Korea's southeastern city of Gyeongju in November and in China next year.

On the sidelines of the three-way meeting, Ahn was also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Muto later in the day, following his one-on-one meeting with Wentao on Saturday.

The next trilateral economic and trade ministers' meeting of Korea, China and Japan will be held in Japan. (Yonhap)