Agro-fisheries to become a hot issue for Korea-China FTA
Chosun Ilbo | 28 July 2010
Agro-fisheries to become a hot issue for Korea-China FTA
Korea has suggested that major agricultural products and fisheries should be excluded from a free trade agreement with China but Beijing reportedly turned the proposal down.
In a joint feasibility study for an FTA that completed in May, Korea suggested the final agreement stipulate that 10 percent of items in these industries recommended by each country are excluded from negotiations based on import volume, a government official said on Tuesday.
"We suggested it to protect agricultural produce such as vegetables, but China opposed it on the grounds that it’s inappropriate to specify in advance what will be discussed in the negotiations."
The two countries are expected to start preliminary FTA talks in September.
