On November 28-29, the Chief Negotiator Meeting of the 16th Round of Negotiation on China-Japan-ROK Free Trade Zone was held in Seoul, ROK. Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy China International Trade Representative Wang Shouwen, Japan's Ambassador of International Economic Affairs Takehiro Kagawa, and the Republic of Korea's Deputy Minister of Trade Negotiations of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Yeo Han Koo led delegations to attend the meeting. The three parties exchanged in-depth views on important issues such as trade in goods, trade in services, investment and rules, and made positive progress.

The three parties agreed that the construction of the China-Japan-ROK Free Trade Zone is in the common interests of the three countries, especially against the background of the rise of protectionism and the complex and severe global economic situation. They should follow the consensus reached by the leaders of the three countries, accelerate the negotiation process, build a comprehensive, high-quality, mutually beneficial free trade agreement with its own value, further explore the potential of the three countries' economic and trade cooperation and add new momentum to the world economy.

The China-Japan-ROK FTA negotiation is one of the FTA negotiations that China has participated in, having the largest economic volume and the highest proportion in China's foreign trade. This round of negotiation started on November 27. The three parties held department-level consultations, as well as 11 work group meetings including trade in goods, trade in services, investment, competition, e-commerce, intellectual property, government procurement and rules of origin. On the basis of the "Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership" (RCEP), the three parties exchanged in-depth views on further improving the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, created a "RCEP +" free trade agreement, and reached positive consensus on the follow-up work arrangements.