ⓒ JoongAng Ilbo / JoongAng Ilbo Japanese version2022.09.08 17:57
Ahn Deok-geun, director of the Trade Negotiations Headquarters of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, announced on the 7th that he and the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) have agreed to form a consultative body to discuss discrimination once morest Korean electric vehicles.
After meeting with USTR representatives from Thailand on the same day, Ahnmoto said, “We have agreed to start a bilateral consultation channel with the USTR to resolve this issue.” Ahn said, “Today, we agreed on the formation of a bilateral consultative body, and we have decided to start concrete discussions on this. clarified.
In a statement distributed an hour later, the USTR said, “The two promised to keep channels of engagement on the electric vehicle issue open.”
In diplomacy, “engagement” usually means continuing dialogue with the other party and getting involved and participating in the issue. In general, it is recognized as a looser form than the “consultative body structure.” There is room for interpretation that there is a difference in interest in the issue of electric vehicles as South Korea and the US choose different terms.
“We plan to continue discussions on as many alternative proposals as possible,” said Ahn. The USTR said in a statement that the representative of Thailand “listened to South Korea’s concerns regarding the electric vehicle regulation of the Inflation Control Law.”
It is not yet decided when the consultation channel between South Korea and the US will be operational. Ahn said, “We will have talks as soon as possible,” but did not answer when asked regarding when the talks would begin. On top of that, “It seems that we are actually more prepared, and there are procedures to be discussed in various ministries and agencies in the United States, so I can’t tell you when it will actually be (starting negotiations). It’s difficult,” he said.
However, he emphasized that he plans to continue meeting with the representative of Thailand at international conferences such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-related ministerial conference scheduled for next week and the week following next, saying, “We talked regarding continuing this talk.”
When asked if the US side acknowledged South Korea’s claim that it discriminated once morest South Korean electric vehicles, she said, “The US government is fully aware of the seriousness of the problem, and what concrete solutions will be offered in the future. We plan to continue discussions with a substantive counterproposal as to whether we can discuss the issue in full.”
Prior to this, Kirby, the coordinator for strategy and public relations at the White House, announced that he would enact sub-rules for enforcing the anti-inflation law in the future in connection with the issue of discriminatory discrimination once morest foreign-made electric vehicles, including South Korea, and provide detailed details. explains that it can be done.
Asked if a solution might be found at the time the Ministry of Finance enacts the enforcement order, Yasumoto said, “There are various hopeful proposals (from the Korean automobile industry and others), but it seems that there are many legally difficult issues. We will have to discuss what kind of plan we can come up with with the enforcement order,” he said.
He continued, “There is no need for discussion within the US government centering on the (White House) National Economic Committee as to whether the two governments will continue discussions with various alternative proposals and whether they can actually be implemented in the United States. I think so,” he added.
Ahn did not directly mention South Korea’s claim that the US is violating the World Trade Organization (WTO) trade rules and the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) during the meeting with the Thai representative that day. clarified.
Ahn said that the US government enacted the Inflation Control Act, giving tax incentives only to electric vehicles that are final assembled in the North American region of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and excluding foreign-made electric vehicles, including those made in Korea. He is visiting the United States to protest once morest and organize countermeasures.
