China, S Korea, Japan to Hold Preliminary Meeting on Free Trade Pact

BEIJING, Jan. 26 -- A trilateral meeting among three Northeast Asian countries is slated for Tuesday in Seoul as the three countries seek to launch a joint research on a free trade pact, Seoul's trade ministry said Monday.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the three Northeastern countries are set to discuss on terms of reference on the joint research, as well as the schedule for holding next rounds of dialogue, the ministry said.

China, South Korea, and Japan decided at their summit talks on Oct 10, 2009 to terminate private studies on the issue and to push for a joint research at an administrative level.

In addition, the ministry said, the three nations as a follow-up measure agreed to launch the research in the first half of 2010 and to hold a preliminary meeting in Seoul.

The private studies on the trilateral free trade pact started in 2003 when the first research was conducted on the macroeconomic impact of the deal, according to the ministry.