Asia-Pacific vulnerable to Middle East energy shocks, deputy FM says

South Korea's Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Jin-a said the Asia-Pacific region is vulnerable to crises originating in the Middle East and called for the establishment of a stable regional energy supply chain.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kim attended the 37th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Joint Ministerial Meeting on Foreign Affairs and Trade, held via video conference Tuesday afternoon, and highlighted the importance of building a resilient energy supply chain for the community's sustained prosperity.

The meeting was co-chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, with China serving as this year's APEC host. Foreign affairs and trade ministers from all 21 APEC member economies participated, discussing ways to advance regional cooperation and deepen economic integration across the Asia-Pacific.

Kim said APEC members must work together to strengthen regional energy resilience and diversify energy supply sources.

On AI, Kim said members should build on the APEC AI Initiative that South Korea led at last year's APEC summit in Gyeongju to deepen cooperation in the field.

Kim added that South Korea would establish innovation platforms — including a global AI hub and an Asia-Pacific AI center — to support AI development and transformation across the region, and pledged to expand the country's contributions so that the benefits of innovation in the AI era reach all member economies.