GYEONGJU, South Korea (Reuters) -South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Saturday he hoped to cooperate with Asia-Pacific countries to tackle issues related to artificial intelligence and demographic changes, at an annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were attending a session to discuss how to navigate the rapid take-up of AI and respond to demographic changes resulting in aging societies and low birth rates.
The APEC bloc accounts for 50% of global trade and 61% of world GDP.
Lee said South Korea had proposed a framework for the APEC region to jointly cope with what he termed a demographic crisis.
“The changing demographic structure represents a serious and significant crisis that impacts all aspects of society, including economic growth, the labour market, childcare, and welfare,” he said, in remarks at the beginning of the session.
“Therefore, it is even more difficult to address with partial and individualised responses,” he said.
(Reporting by Ju-min Park and Jihoon LeeEditing by Ed Davies)
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