The workshop began with opening remarks by Sungbae An, Chief Economist of KIEP, Akira Watabe, Director of PRI, and LI Xuesong, Director of IQTE at CASS. It was divided into three sessions. Chief Economist Sungbae An emphasized the importance of promoting regional cooperation and enhancing mutual understanding through physical exchanges despite the global economic challenges such as the impact of COVID-19, geopolitical tensions, and demographic issues in East Asian economies. Subsequent sessions involved sharing the economic situations of each country post-COVID-19 pandemic and discussing the demographic challenges of low birth rates and regional decline, along with each country's status and policy responses.

Esteemed researchers from KIEP, PRI, and CASS, including Dr. Hyun-A Kim from the Korea Institute of Public Finance and Research Fellow Sunghee Min from the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, participated in the seminar, sharing diverse opinions and exploring ways to enhance cooperation among South Korea, China, and Japan.

- Title: The 16th Trilateral Workshop of PRI-CASS-KIEP

- Theme: Low Birth Rates and Regional Extinction 

- Date: December 7th, 2023, Thursday, 10:00 AM to 4:50 PM

- Venue: Mita Kaigisho in Tokyo

- Hosted by: KIEP, PRI, and CASS

- Contact: Hyo Sang Kim, Head of the International Finance Team at KIEP (E. hyosangkim@kiep.go.kr)