Seoul: South Korea and China discussed measures to reduce technical barriers to trade (TBT) between the two countries in cosmetics, bio-health, and other sectors in a meeting aimed at improving the trade environment for local exporters, Seoul's industry ministry reported.

According to Yonhap News Agency, in their ninth TBT committee meeting held in Beijing, the Korean side addressed key challenges that local exporters face regarding China's regulations on the approval of cosmetics and medical devices. The discussions also covered standards concerning Korean red ginseng products. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy revealed that Seoul requested Beijing to permit more Korean certification institutions to issue the China Compulsory Certificate, a mandatory product certification for exports to China. Additionally, the Korean side sought to understand more about Beijing's pilot testing of a carbon footprint certification system.

Seo Young-jin, director general of the bureau of technical regulatory policy at the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards under the ministry, stated, "The government will continue its efforts to identify and address technical regulation challenges Korean companies face when exporting to China, the largest export destination for the country last year."

South Korea and China have been conducting regular TBT committee meetings under their bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) since 2015, the year when the FTA came into force.