Minister Ahn, Minister Saito, it’s my honor to welcome you to the United States Department of Commerce.

Thank you for being here for the first-ever U.S.-Japan-Korea Commerce and Industry Ministerial.

When our leaders met at Camp David last August for their historic Trilateral Summit, they charged us with using this new, trilateral platform to raise our shared ambitions to a new horizon.

This is an important responsibility.

My department’s relationship with both of yours is already as close as any we have in the world.

In the area of semiconductors, where my department is implementing the $50 billion CHIPS program, we are working closely to build more resilient global supply chains.

And beyond semiconductors, we are collaborating in new areas such as biotech and biomanufacturing, quantum, AI, robotics, and other advanced manufacturing.

Now is the time for us to align more closely than ever to continue promoting the development of critical and emerging technologies, while also strengthening strategic supply chains and protecting our national and economic security through effective export controls. 

As leading economies in manufacturing, services, and innovation, we do so with the awareness that our work must benefit not just our countries, but also our partners around the world and the Global South.

I look forward to our discussion today, and to getting to work on all of this.

Thank you.