United Press International | 13 Oct 2006
China, South Korea to start FTA talks
BEIJING, Oct. 13 (UPI) — China said Premier Wen Jiabao and visiting South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun agreed to soon start talks on a free-trade area.
Trade between the two countries has reached $100 billion, the official Xinhua news agency reported Friday.
Wen and Roh also discussed ways to strengthen medium- and long-term trade cooperation, focusing on environmental protection, energy preservation and high-tech cooperation.
They pledged to promote trade facilitation, expand mutual investment and bring economic cooperation to a new level.
Wen and Roh also praised recent efforts to improve relations also with Japan, noting strong ties are in the common interests of all three countries, Xinhua said.