Press Releases
2026 APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting
May 23, 2026
On May 22 and 23, the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting was held in Suzhou, China, chaired by H.E. Mr. WANG Wentao, Minister of Commerce of China.
Mr. HORII Iwao, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, together with Mr. AKAZAWA Ryosei, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, participated in the meeting and discussed regional economic integration, WTO reform, and a new engine of global economic growth including digital cooperation and green economy.
- State Minister HORII emphasized the importance of maintaining and reinforcing the rules-based, free and fair international economic order. He pointed out that non-market policies and practices, overcapacity, arbitrary export restrictions, and economic coercion harm the international economic order. He also expressed support for the FTAAP agenda toward Asia-Pacific economic integration and introduced Japan's ongoing project on digital trade that contributes to enhancing trust in cross-border data flows.
- State Minister HORII expressed support for maintaining and strengthening the multilateral trading system, and further mentioned that WTO reform remains urgent, and that concrete actions need to be decided upon ahead of the 15th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC15).
- State Minister HORII stated that Japan will further expand the "Friends Group" of approximately 70 countries and regions, through the "Hiroshima AI Process," and continue to build a "safe, secure, and trustworthy AI" ecosystem tailored to the local circumstances, particularly in collaboration with ASEAN countries.
- State Minister HORII stated that early stabilization of the Strait of Hormuz is crucial for energy security and stable supply of essential goods and that Japan will continue to coordinate closely with the international community to ensure free and safe navigation of vessels of all nations. He further introduced Japan's recently launched "Partnership on Wide Energy and Resources Resilience Asia” (POWERR Asia), emphasizing Japan's commitment to deepening cooperation with the Asia-Pacific region through a total of 10 billion US dollars in financial and fiscal cooperation for emergency response and medium-to-long-term structural measures.
(Reference1) Attachments
(Reference2) 21 member economies
Japan; Australia; Brunei; Canada; Chile; China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; Russia; Philippines; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States; Viet Nam