Business leaders from Japan, China and South Korea are calling on their governments to conclude a trilateral free-trade agreement soon to further regional economic growth.
"It is essential that we conclude such an FTA as early as possible," the top officials of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren), the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Federation of Korean Industries said Sunday in a joint statement.
The envisioned FTA "will fill a vital gap" in integrating the East Asian economies and "play a crucial role" in achieving greater economic integration that also involves the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other Pacific Rim countries.