Minister Nguyen Hong Dien attended and spoke at the CPTPP Ministerial Conference on the sidelines of MRT

Continuing the working program on the second day in Jeju, Korea, on May 16, on the sidelines of the APEC 2025 Trade Ministers' Meeting - MRT, CPTPP Ministers held a ministerial-level meeting to promote economic cooperation commitments, discuss the future of the Agreement and expansion proposals.

In his opening remarks via video , Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell affirmed that the CPTPP continues to play a key role in strengthening the rules-based global trading system. Minister Grace Fu Hai Yien (Singapore) - chairing the session - emphasized that the priority for 2025 is to promote "Sustainable Trade and Resilient Growth".

Minister Nguyen Hong Dien speaks at the ministerial meeting of CPTPP member countries.

Minister emphasizes the importance of the CPTPP Agreement in the context of complicated global trade developments

The main discussion focused on the core question: How can we ensure that the CPTPP remains relevant in the new context, especially when conducting a comprehensive review and negotiating accession with Costa Rica? With 11 speakers speaking continuously for nearly an hour, the meeting clearly demonstrated the consensus that the CPTPP needs to continue to improve, especially in areas such as digital trade, supply chains, financial services and cross-border trade.

Notably, the CPTPP 2025 Ministerial Joint Statement was adopted during the working session. The document emphasizes three main orientations for 2025: Strengthening deeper integration; promoting effective trade through process simplification; and spreading benefits so that CPTPP becomes a platform for inclusive growth.

Regarding membership expansion, the Ministers appreciated Costa Rica’s progress and affirmed that they will continue to negotiate with potential economies, based on the Auckland Principles - a set of criteria for evaluating new candidates for the CPTPP. In particular, the countries also agreed to initiate dialogue with the EU and ASEAN from 2025 to enhance connectivity and position the CPTPP as a strategic pillar in the global economic structure.

Representatives of CPTPP countries exchanged and spoke at the working session.

CPTPP Ministerial Meeting concludes with group photo session

The meeting concluded with a group photo session, in an atmosphere of open exchange, demonstrating solidarity among member economies in the context of the world economy continuing to harbor many uncertainties.

Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien is expected to deliver an official speech on Vietnam's commitment to institutional reform and its role in promoting the CPTPP in conjunction with a new resolution on private economic development and digital transformation.

Industry and Trade Newspaper will update as soon as the official statement is available...

On May 16, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien and the Ministry of Industry and Trade delegation will attend the 3rd Discussion Session of the APEC Ministers on Trade (MRT) with the theme: "Supply Chain, Adoption of the MRT Statement and Closing of the Conference".

In addition, bilateral meetings and contacts with a number of leaders from various countries.

Nguyen Minh - Hoang Hoa from Jeju, Korea

Source: https://congthuong.vn/minister-nguyen-hong-dien-du-va-phat-bieu-tai-hoi-nghi-bo-truong-cptpp-ben-le-mrt-387820.html