President Lee Jae-myung's 10-day European tour, coinciding with the G7 summit, is nearing its conclusion. During the trip, President Lee met with leaders from Belgium, the European Union, Italy, the Vatican, and France to discuss expanding cooperation on various fronts, including international affairs, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, aerospace, defense, and culture. This visit is seen as a significant achievement in strengthening ties with Europe, which shares values of democracy and the rule of law.
However, the implications of this trip extend beyond Europe. A key highlight is South Korea's decision to join Italy's Mattei Plan for African development. Launched by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the Mattei Plan aims to support Africa's economic growth through investments in energy, infrastructure, and other sectors, addressing Europe's refugee and resource security challenges. Currently, 18 African nations are participating in the Mattei Plan, establishing it as a major European initiative in Africa.
Italy, positioned across the Mediterranean from Africa, serves as a primary gateway to the continent and has maintained long-standing historical and economic ties with African nations. For South Korea, which is geographically distant from Africa, collaboration with European countries could serve as a strategic pathway for entering the African market. Emilia Gatto, the Italian Ambassador to South Korea, emphasized in a January interview that cooperation between South Korea and Italy in Africa could yield significant synergies in critical minerals and supply chain collaboration.
Notably, President Lee's decision to participate in the Mattei Plan follows his meeting with 20 African ministers who visited South Korea prior to his trip. This sequence of events suggests a strategic approach to enhancing South Korea's engagement in Africa.
South Korea has lagged in the African competition, with China expanding its influence across the continent through large-scale loans and infrastructure investments since the early 2000s. Recently, China has accelerated economic cooperation by expanding tariff exemptions for its 53 diplomatic partners. Japan has also been strengthening its ties with Africa since the 1990s through the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). In contrast, while South Korea is set to host its first Korea-Africa summit in 2024, internal and external challenges, including the 12/3 coup and regime changes, have sidelined its diplomatic efforts in Africa.
Recent comments by Yeo Han-goo, head of the Trade Negotiation Bureau at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, highlight this reality. In an interview with local media during a visit to Morocco, he noted that South Korean products face tariffs of up to 30%, while European companies benefit from tariff-free access due to free trade agreements (FTAs), complicating efforts to use Morocco as an export hub to Europe.
As such, there is a pressing need to strengthen South Korea's diplomatic efforts in Africa. Currently, no African nations have signed FTAs or Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs) with South Korea, necessitating a push to expand trade diplomacy and establish connections. North African countries like Morocco and Egypt, where CEPA negotiations are underway, should serve as initial footholds for gradually expanding trade networks with various nations.
In an era of intensified U.S.-China strategic competition and competition for critical minerals, Africa, rich in essential resources, represents a strategic space that cannot be overlooked. Therefore, leveraging strengthened relations with Europe as a foundation for expanding diplomatic outreach to Africa is the most crucial task stemming from this trip.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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