A widening rift between Japan and South Korea spilled over at a meeting of 16 mostly Asian countries negotiating the world's largest free trade agreement Saturday, according to Japan's representative.
After the one-day meeting of trade ministers chaired by China in Beijing, the members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) issued a joint statement stressing their aim to reach a deal by the end of this year.
At the negotiations, South Korean Trade Minister Myung Hee-yoo twice raised the issue of Tokyo's removal of her country from a list of nations entitled to simplified export control procedures, according to Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko.