The 14th round of follow-up negotiations on services and investment under the Korea–China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is underway in Seoul from April 6 to 10, 2026. Around 40 officials from both sides are taking part, with the Korean delegation led by Kwon Hye-jin, Director General for Trade Negotiations at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim), and the Chinese delegation headed by Lin Feng, Director General for International Trade and Economic Affairs at China’s Ministry of Commerce.

After the Korea–China FTA entered into force in 2015, the two sides launched follow-up negotiations on services and investment in March 2018 under agreed guidelines. Since then, they have held 13 formal rounds of negotiations and multiple intersessional meetings.

At the Korea–China summit in January 2026, the two sides agreed to pursue meaningful progress in the Korea–China FTA follow-up negotiations within the year. The negotiations were discussed again at the Korea–China Trade Ministers’ Meeting on March 18, 2026—the first such meeting in four years—and substantive talks are expected to continue at the Korea–China FTA Joint Commission at the ministerial level, which is due to meet in the first half of 2026. With high-level channels between the two sides restored, the negotiating teams will build on this momentum and accelerate negotiations on the agreement text and market access across the three subcommittees on services, investment, and finance.

Director General Kwon said, “We will accelerate the negotiations to deliver outcomes that can support Korean companies facing uncertainty at home and abroad. We will also ensure that the follow-up negotiations lay the groundwork for a freer and more open environment for services trade and investment.”