통상산업포럼 국제컨퍼런스 개회사

2015. 11. 10(화) 10:00 나인트리컨벤션 그랜드볼룸

Mr. Yonov Frederick Agah (요노브 프레드릭 아가),

Deputy Director-General of the WTO,

Mr. LEE Il Houng(이일형), President of the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy,

Ambassadors and distinguished guests,

It gives me great pleasure to host the 2015 Seoul Conference on Trade and Industry, where numerous esteemed speakers from here and abroad will discuss Korea’s trade policies and global trade related issues for the coming years.

This is the second forum for the Seoul Conference on Trade and Industry which is a venue where leading global experts and policy makers share their views on both Korea’s trade and industrial policies of today and exchange their wisdom on Korea’s policies from a global context.

The Conference is taking place at a time when Korean companies, like others in global trading nations, are experiencing slow or even negative growth in trade. Thus, this year’s theme, “A New Paradigm for the World Trading System,” seems all the more timely and befitting.

As global economic growth remains stubbornly sluggish due to the weak recovery in advanced countries and the slower growth in emerging economies, voices of concern have been rising that the global economy might be entering into an Age of “New Mediocre.”

In particular, the uncertainty over the global economy continues to prevail as China unfolds slowing growth and the U.S. counts the date of lifting interest rates. And the falling price of petroleum and the devaluation in emerging countries also add to the tasks of challenge for the Korean business community.

To overcome these difficulties and turn them into opportunities for a Second Lift-Off for Korea as a global trading nation, it is vital to arm ourselves with a proactive mind set of policies towards the new and ever-changing trade paradigm of today.

The global trade order, which has previously been characterized by regionalization and disintegration due to the proliferation of exclusive bilateral FTAs, is now leaning towards greater spheres and re-integration through encompassing multilateral and mega FTAs. The Trans-Pacific Partnership which was concluded last month is in turn providing momentum for RCEP negotiations. The Korean government has already expressed its strong interest in joining the TPP, and I hope that we could cooperate with the TPP members as soon as possible.

I also hope the RCEP negotiations will soon produce a high-level agreement, and serve as a catalyst for economic integration in the Asia-Pacific and contribute to the expansion and strengthening of the multilateral trading system. Furthermore, I look forward to Korea playing a key role throughout this process.

Against this backdrop, today’s event will provide a valuable opportunity for us to analyze and evaluate the current environments of global trade and set the new direction for Korea’s trade policy in the coming years.

The three key topics of this year’s Conference are

1) Mega-FTAs and the Changing Global Trade Regime,

2) Strategies for the Trans-Pacific Partnership,

and 3) China’s One Belt and One Road Initiative, its Possibilities, Prospects and Implications for Korea. I hope they provide all the participants with new and inspirational ideas regarding our future trade environment.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I have been always saying that, “The future is not an object to be predicted but yet to be determined by what we do today.” As I was preparing today’s remarks, I found out that Voltaire had already said something similar along these lines: he said that “the present is pregnant with the future.”

Creating a better tomorrow is up to us of today to put in the best of efforts and make earnest preparations. I believe that our discussions and participation in today’s 2015 Seoul Conference on Trade and Industry will greatly contribute to the enhancement of our future trade paradigm, and I wish to sincerely thank all of you once again for joining us here today.

Thank you. //끝//