The China–Japan-South Korea Free Trade Agreement is a proposed free trade agreement between China, Japan and South Korea. The China-Japan-South Korea Free Trade Agreement was proposed in 2002. Negotiations on the agreement were set in motion in 2012.[1] At the time, the three nations made up to 19.6% of the world's economy. Two-way trade between South Korea and China was totaled at $230 billion in 2013.https://search.proquest.com/docview/1622106042
These talks mostly occurred in parallel with negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) a free trade agreement that includes China, Japan, and South Korea along with Australia, New Zealand, and the ten member states of ASEAN. RCEP negotiations began in earnest in 2013 and the agreement went into effect in 2021. [2] [3] The three nations continued to negotiate an additional, more comprehensive agreement. A trilateral investment has been signed by all 3 nations.https://search.proquest.com/docview/1012770591
The first official talks on the matter were held in Seoul from 26–28 March 2013. Further talks were held in China and Japan throughout 2013 and continued to be held with relative consistency until 2019.[4]
Talks stalled after the second 2019 summit, but resumed in 2024 with the first China-Japan-South Korea trilateral summit in over 4 years.[5] Talks after 2019 have been mired by weak public interest in Japan and South Korea and increased geopolitical tension between China and the other two potential members. Additionally the implementation of RCEP has made the creation of a new trade agreement less pressing.[6] [7]