(VOVworld) – The Republic of Korea, China, and Japan began their 7^th round of negotiations on a three-way Free Trade Agreement in Seoul on Thursday.

Republic of Korea top FTA negotiator, Kim Hak-do (center), shakes hands with his Chinese and Japanese counterparts before the beginning of the 7th round of talks for a three-way FTA in Seoul on May 12, 2015.

Since the 6^th round, the three countries have divided the talks into expert-level and chief negotiators-level meetings to accelerate negotiations. Republic of Korea Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy said the meeting between the chief negotiators will discuss basic guidelines to liberalise markets, goods, and services. If signed, this FTA will connect 3 of the 4 largest economies in Asia.