Representatives of South Korea, China and Japan have underlined the importance of adopting a trilateral free trade agreement(FTA) among the three countries.
 
The consensus came at a seminar in Seoul Thursday as the tenth round of working-level talks on the three-nation deal were taking place in the South Korean capital.
 
The Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, which promotes peace and common prosperity among the three Asian neighbors, organized the seminar which was attended by some 130 people. 

Among the participants were Yoo Myung-hee, director-general for FTA negotiations at South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Hong Xiao Dong, deputy director-general of the Department of International Trade and Economic Affairs at China’s Commerce Ministry, and Tatsuo Sato, deputy director-general of the Economic Affairs Bureau at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
 
The first session of the seminar, which is the fourth of its kind to be held, focused on the importance of the three-way FTA in order to enhance cooperation among the three countries. The second session centered on economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region.
 
Participants all shared the view that the three-nation deal must be adopted comprehensively and at a high level.
 
Yoo said that the three countries’ trade volumes will rise if export-related problems are solved and cooperation is expanded in various areas with regard to the FTA.
 
Sato said that the three countries have shown determination to achieve the trade accord and shared the view about economic integration within the region.