Japan, EU to form Competitiveness Alliance to strengthen trade ties
A 2025 Volkswagen ID.4 electric vehicle (EV) during a Great American Road Trip Expo hosted by the Department of Transportation (DOT) in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, May 29, 2025. Japan and the EU plan to align subsidy policies for green technologies, including electric vehicles and hydrogen production. -Bloomberg
BRUSSELS: Japan and the European Union are set to launch a "Competitiveness Alliance" aimed at boosting corporate resilience and deepening trade and economic security cooperation, Kyodo news agency quoted diplomatic sources on Saturday (June 7).
The initiative is expected to be announced at a summit in July, which will likely see Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba host European Council President, Antonio Costa and European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen.
The new framework aims to reinforce efforts by both parties to uphold a rules-based economic order.
It will build on the existing Japan-EU free trade agreement, which eliminates tariffs and other trade barriers between the two economies that together represent 20 per cent of global gross domestic product.
Under the alliance, Japan and the EU will work together to diversify supply chains for rare earth minerals, amid growing concern over China's export restrictions on these critical resources used in smartphones and high-tech manufacturing.
The framework also includes plans to align subsidy policies for green technologies, including electric vehicles and hydrogen production, to reduce development costs and ensure fair competition for manufacturers on both sides.
On the global trade front, the alliance will support reforms at the World Trade Organisation, which many view as weakened in addressing Chinese trade practices and broader systemic issues.
Japan and the EU will also seek stronger engagement with emerging economies of the Global South, promoting shared values such as free and fair trade, and adherence to the rule of law.
The EU, meanwhile, is exploring closer cooperation with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which includes Japan, the United Kingdom, and 10 other countries.
Some EU members have called for deeper collaboration in setting rules on digital trade and climate-related business practices. - Bernama-Kyodo
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New Straits Times
3 hours ago
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Japan, EU to form competitveness alliance to strenghthen trade ties
BRUSSELS: Japan and the European Union are set to launch a "Competitiveness Alliance" aimed at boosting corporate resilience and deepening trade and economic security cooperation, Kyodo news agency quoted diplomatic sources on Saturday. The initiative is expected to be announced at a summit in July, which will likely see Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba host European Council President, Antonio Costa and European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen. The new framework aims to reinforce efforts by both parties to uphold a rules-based economic order. It will build on the existing Japan-EU free trade agreement, which eliminates tariffs and other trade barriers between the two economies that together represent 20 per cent of global gross domestic product. Under the alliance, Japan and the EU will work together to diversify supply chains for rare earth minerals, amid growing concern over China's export restrictions on these critical resources used in smartphones and high-tech manufacturing. The framework also includes plans to align subsidy policies for green technologies, including electric vehicles and hydrogen production, to reduce development costs and ensure fair competition for manufacturers on both sides. On the global trade front, the alliance will support reforms at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which many view as weakened in addressing Chinese trade practices and broader systemic issues. Japan and the EU will also seek stronger engagement with emerging economies of the Global South, promoting shared values such as free and fair trade, and adherence to the rule of law. The EU, meanwhile, is exploring closer cooperation with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which includes Japan, the United Kingdom, and 10 other countries. Some EU members have called for deeper collaboration in setting rules on digital trade and climate-related business practices.
The Star
4 hours ago
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Japan, EU to form Competitiveness Alliance to strengthen trade ties
A 2025 Volkswagen ID.4 electric vehicle (EV) during a Great American Road Trip Expo hosted by the Department of Transportation (DOT) in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, May 29, 2025. Japan and the EU plan to align subsidy policies for green technologies, including electric vehicles and hydrogen production. -Bloomberg BRUSSELS: Japan and the European Union are set to launch a "Competitiveness Alliance" aimed at boosting corporate resilience and deepening trade and economic security cooperation, Kyodo news agency quoted diplomatic sources on Saturday (June 7). The initiative is expected to be announced at a summit in July, which will likely see Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba host European Council President, Antonio Costa and European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen. The new framework aims to reinforce efforts by both parties to uphold a rules-based economic order. It will build on the existing Japan-EU free trade agreement, which eliminates tariffs and other trade barriers between the two economies that together represent 20 per cent of global gross domestic product. Under the alliance, Japan and the EU will work together to diversify supply chains for rare earth minerals, amid growing concern over China's export restrictions on these critical resources used in smartphones and high-tech manufacturing. The framework also includes plans to align subsidy policies for green technologies, including electric vehicles and hydrogen production, to reduce development costs and ensure fair competition for manufacturers on both sides. On the global trade front, the alliance will support reforms at the World Trade Organisation, which many view as weakened in addressing Chinese trade practices and broader systemic issues. Japan and the EU will also seek stronger engagement with emerging economies of the Global South, promoting shared values such as free and fair trade, and adherence to the rule of law. The EU, meanwhile, is exploring closer cooperation with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which includes Japan, the United Kingdom, and 10 other countries. Some EU members have called for deeper collaboration in setting rules on digital trade and climate-related business practices. - Bernama-Kyodo
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Taiwan scholars mark 80th anniversary of victory in war against Japanese aggression
Japanese Soldiers Entering Taipei City in 1895 after the Treaty of Shimonoseki between Qing and Japan. - Wikipedia TAIPEI: A symposium commemorating the 80th anniversary of both victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and Taiwan's recovery was held in Taipei on Saturday (June 7), calling for historical truth to be restored as the narrative of "Taiwan independence" is being pushed by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities. Chi Chia-lin, president of Homeland Publishing and chief of a Taiwan history research association, emphasised that the war of 1895 against Japanese occupation and the subsequent waves of armed resistance were patriotic struggles launched by the people of Taiwan as part of the Chinese nation. He criticised the DPP authorities for deliberately distorting history over recent years, not only by glorifying Japan's colonial rule but also by attempting to misrepresent the battle of 1895 as a movement for "Taiwan independence." The 1895 battle was a six-month resistance struggle that broke out on the island after the Qing government ceded Taiwan to Japan under the unequal Treaty of Shimonoseki in April 1895, following its defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War. Chi explained that at that time, locals and soldiers from the Hunan, Anhui and Guangdong provinces who remained in Taiwan fought side by side to resist the Japanese. Due to overwhelming disparities in weaponry and equipment, more than 14,000 people were killed over the course of four-and-a-half months. Pien Feng-kwei, a professor with the Taiwan Ocean University, said that during the 50 years of Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan, the island's people continued their resistance unbroken and in various forms. However, he noted, "Taiwan independence" forces have deliberately ignored or even distorted Taiwan's history of anti-Japanese resistance and anti-colonial struggle. "Remembering history is meant to help us cherish peace. I hope the Taiwan authorities will face history squarely and draw lessons from it," he said. The strong national consciousness became the foundation of Taiwan's anti-Japanese resistance, and the sacrifices of heroes during the struggle are a lasting testament to the indomitable spirit of the Chinese nation, said professor Sun Juo-yi of Taiwan's Chung Hsing University. Chi also called for the development of an accurate historical narrative of Taiwan to awaken the society's true memory. - Xinhua
