China's Vice Minister of Commerce Li Chenggang meets in Beijing with Yeo Han-koo, the trade minister of South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, on December 30, 2025. Photo: the Ministry of Commerce

China international trade representative with the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and vice minister of commerce Li Chenggang met in Beijing on Tuesday with Yeo Han-koo, the trade minister of South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, and they held in-depth discussions on concrete pathways to accelerate phase II negotiations of the China-South Korea free trade agreement (FTA), according to the MOFCOM.

The two sides exchanged views on implementing the important consensus reached by the two countries' leaders and on advancing the next stage of FTA talks, according to a release issued by China's MOFCOM on Tuesday.

Li said that the recent meeting between the Chinese and South Korean leaders produced important consensus on promoting the sound and steady development of bilateral relations, providing strategic guidance for the growth of China-South Korea economic and trade ties and calling for faster progress in phase II FTA negotiations. 

On December 12, China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao met in Beijing with Kim Jung-kwan, minister of South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. During the meeting, two sides held in-depth discussions on implementing the leaders' consensus, according to MOFCOM.

Li said China stands ready to work with South Korea to focus on key issues, properly manage differences and push for early, substantive outcomes in phase II negotiations, creating more cooperation and development opportunities for businesses in both countries.

Yeo said South Korea is willing to take the leaders' consensus as guidance and work with China in the same direction to accelerate phase II FTA talks, with the aim of reaching a mutually beneficial and balanced outcome at an early date, according to the release of the MOFCOM. 

The two sides also held in-depth exchanges on promoting the high-quality implementation of the China-South Korea FTA and on China's application to join the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), among other issues, per the MOFCOM release.

Global Times