Seoul: South Korea and China held talks Thursday to explore ways to bolster supply chain stability in the region amid global trade uncertainties, Seoul’s industry ministry said. The two countries convened the third round of a bilateral hotline meeting on supply chains in Seoul, where high-level officials exchanged views on Beijing’s export control measures and ways to maintain supply chain stability, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

According to Qatar News Agency, the supply chain hotline meeting was first held in Seoul in 2023, followed by the second round of the meeting in the eastern Chinese city of Yancheng in November last year. In the latest meeting, Seoul asked for Beijing’s support for Korean companies importing key materials from China amid growing instability in global supply chains, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

The two sides also discussed the possible hosting of a policy briefing session by the Chinese government in the second half of this year, aimed at
creating a stable and predictable business environment for Korean firms operating in China, according to the ministry. In recent years, China has imposed export curbs on a wide range of critical minerals essential to advanced industries, including gallium, graphite, tungsten, and rare earth minerals, amid trade tensions with the United States.