Sing Haiming, Chinese Ambassador: "Let's Pursue Joint Interests Between Korea and China in 7 Key Areas Including 5G Base Stations and High-Speed Rail"

"Breakfast Meeting with Xing Haiming, Chinese Ambassador to Korea"
Korean Businesspeople in China Call for "Special Entry Permissions and Eased Restrictions"

Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming is having a conversation with Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon in the mayor's office at Seoul City Hall on the 12th. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Xing Haiming, the Chinese Ambassador to Korea, presented the 2020 foreign-invested enterprise support measures and new industry cooperation plans between Korean and Chinese companies at a gathering of Korean businesspeople.

On the 28th, Ambassador Xing said at a breakfast meeting held at the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) building in Yeouido, Seoul, under the theme "China Government's Economic Stimulus Measures in Response to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Difficulties Faced by Companies Entering China," "The Chinese government is expanding the list of industries encouraged for foreign investment through the new Foreign Investment Law and its enforcement regulations in 2020." He added that tailored policies are being implemented so that foreign-invested companies can receive more tax benefits.

In his keynote speech, Ambassador Xing called for cooperation in new industries to qualitatively strengthen Korea-China economic and trade relations. He stated, "Let us pursue mutual benefits through the respective strengths of Korean and Chinese companies in seven key areas: 5G base station construction, ultra-high voltage, high-speed rail, new energy vehicle charging stations, big data centers, artificial intelligence, and industrial networks."

At the meeting, Korean companies operating in China identified the easing of China's entry restrictions on businesspeople as the most urgent need amid the COVID-19 situation. They explained that management difficulties have increased due to entry restrictions following the Chinese government's complete ban on foreign entries in March.

They complained that the entry ban has caused difficulties in local production, sales, and investment activities. Therefore, they proposed the need for expedited visa issuance and special entry permissions for businesspeople who possess a negative COVID-19 test certificate.

Specifically, they requested exemptions from entry restrictions and quarantine measures for holders of the ‘APEC Business Travel Card’ who carry a certificate of no infection. The APEC Business Travel Card is a system that guarantees rapid entry and exit without a separate visa for businesspeople, as a measure to expand economic exchanges among member countries.

The FKI also requested broader recognition of exceptions to entry restrictions. Previously, the FKI sent an urgent letter last month to the governments of 18 major trading countries, asking them to withdraw or refrain from entry bans and restrictions on businesspeople coming from Korea.

Vice Chairman Kwon said, “We hope that exceptions for businesspeople who have no history of infection and comply with COVID-19 testing before and after entry will be proactively considered, as their business-related entry is urgent.”

Voices expressing expectations for a full recovery of Korea-China relations coinciding with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Korea this year also emerged.

Vice Chairman Kwon said, “The top concern shared by our businesspeople regarding China is the timing of normalization of Korea-China relations, which have cooled since the THAAD incident in 2016,” adding, “We hope that Korea-China relations will be fully restored with President Xi Jinping’s visit.”

Regarding the restoration of relations, considering the restrictions on international travel due to the COVID-19 situation, there was also a suggestion to start cultural content exchanges through online platforms rather than direct exchanges initially. Additionally, repeated requests were made to ease restrictions on group tourism.

Meanwhile, this breakfast meeting was the first official meeting between Ambassador Xing and Korean businesspeople since his appointment to Korea. About 20 businesspeople attended the meeting, including Ambassador Xing, Economic Counselor Gu Jinseong, Vice Chairman Kwon, Yoon Youngho, Chairman of the Korea Tourism Association Central Council, as well as Lim Jeongbae, CEO of Daesang, and Kim Chilbong, Vice Chairman of Korea Shipping, who are engaged in China-related businesses.

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