Partly induced by the drop in trade between South Korea and China amid the global recession, officials from both sides committed to expediting negotiations for a free trade agreement.

High-level officials from the two nations also said they would focus on trade cooperation in a range of sectors, from manufacturing to relatively new industries such as green energy and hi-tech. The remarks were made yesterday at the sixth joint conference of the China-South Korea Investment Cooperative Committee.

After establishing diplomatic relations in 1992, the nations increased bilateral trade at an annual growth rate of 25 percent for the past 16 years.