Sing Haiming, Chinese Ambassador to Korea, Discusses 'Fast Track' with Vice Minister Kim Geon and Business Leaders... Best Effort for May Implementation

Discussion on Exceptional Entry for Businesspeople at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building on the Morning of the 27th

Sing Haiming, the newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Korea, arrived through Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 30th and responded to questions from the press. / Yeongjongdo - Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Xing Haiming, the Chinese Ambassador to Korea, visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Doryeom-dong, Seoul, to discuss the progress of the 'Fast Track' procedure for simplifying entry for businesspeople.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 27th, Ambassador Xing met with Vice Minister Kim Geon in the morning and discussed the agreed-upon 'Fast Track' for businesspeople's entry. Ambassador Xing expressed his intention to strive for the implementation of the Fast Track in May.

The governments of Korea and China agreed on the 17th during a regular video conference between deputy foreign ministers to systematize the exceptional entry allowance for businesspeople and have been continuing discussions at the working level.

If the Fast Track is introduced, it will be the first institutionalized case of exceptional entry since the entry restrictions due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official explained, "Vice Minister Kim met with Ambassador Xing to discuss mutual concerns related to COVID-19 response."

Earlier, on the 20th, Jang Ha-sung, the Korean Ambassador to China, stated at a press briefing held in Beijing, "The issue of essential business personnel movement between Korea and China has been discussed in the dialogues between the two heads of state, the ASEAN+3 meeting, and the foreign deputy ministers' talks," adding, "The two countries have already reached a fundamental agreement to simplify entry procedures for mutually recognized businesspeople."

He further said, "There are concrete discussions and consultations underway regarding measures not to require self or facility quarantine if a negative COVID-19 test result is presented. We expect concrete results soon."

However, Ambassador Jang pointed out that a concerning issue is that unlike large corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may face relatively more difficulties with the simplified entry procedures for businesspeople, and efforts are being made to address this. He also added, "We intend to specify the relevant regions in advance so that local governments can implement the agreement without problems," and "China has shown considerable sympathy for the issues we are experiencing."

Meanwhile, Ambassador Xing emphasized the great importance of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Korea and explained that discussions will likely be held through diplomatic channels to arrange an appropriate time for the visit.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.