South Korea and China held their first free trade agreement (FTA) talks in Beijing on Monday.

A South Korean delegation led by chief negotiator for free trade agreements Choi Seok-young and a Chinese delegation led by Deputy Minister for International Trade Yu Jianhua met at the Commerce Ministry in Beijing on Monday.

The two sides discussed rules for operations regarding the trade negotiations, ways to form negotiation teams, and an agenda for future discussions.

South Korea and China agreed to launch FTA talks on May second.

The two nations will divide the discussions into two stages. During the first stage, the talks’ guiding principles will be established, including ways to protect sensitive items. During the second stage, the two sides will conduct full-scale trade talks.