Korea-China Public Diplomacy Forum Held... Seeking Comprehensive Cooperation in the 'Post-Corona' Era

Discussion on Expanding Regional Exchanges, Economic Development, and Strengthening Industrial Cooperation

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The 8th Korea-China Public Diplomacy Forum, jointly hosted by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Korea and China and organized by the Korea Foundation and the China Public Diplomacy Association, was held on the 8th in a hybrid format with both in-person and online participation, attended by experts from government, academia, and media sectors of both countries.

The forum was attended by Jang Jae-bok, Public Diplomacy Ambassador of the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Qin Gang, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China; Lee Geun, Chairman of the Korea Foundation; Wu Hailong, President of the China Public Diplomacy Association; Zhu Guohong, former Chinese Ambassador to Korea; and Seo Eun-ji, Director of the Public Cultural Diplomacy Bureau of the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among others.

At the forum, participants from both Korea and China discussed the theme of "Enhancing Comprehensive Cooperation between Korea and China in the Post-COVID-19 Era," focusing on △ expanding local exchanges △ strengthening economic development and industrial cooperation △ and promoting face-to-face and non-face-to-face cooperation methods to facilitate media and youth exchanges.

In particular, building on the experience of quarantine cooperation shared during the COVID-19 crisis, the forum emphasized the need to further activate public diplomacy to enhance mutual understanding between the peoples of both countries, including the next-generation opinion leaders, expand online exchanges and cooperation, revitalize local government exchanges, and strengthen practical cooperation in common interest areas such as economy, industry, health, and environment.

Public Diplomacy Ambassador Jang Jae-bok, in his opening remarks, evaluated that the COVID-19 quarantine cooperation involving both public and private sectors of the two countries contributed to solidifying the foundation of friendly cooperation between Korea and China. He also expressed hope that public diplomacy would contribute to the development of a substantive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries ahead of the 30th anniversary of Korea-China diplomatic relations.

Qin Gang, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, stressed the need to establish an institutional foundation for public diplomacy that allows participation from various actors to seek new Korea-China cooperation in the post-COVID-19 era, strengthen working-level consultations in fields with great cooperation potential such as economy, industry, and advanced technology, and promote private exchanges.

Following this, Seo Eun-ji, Director of the Public Cultural Diplomacy Bureau, expressed in her closing remarks her expectation that sustainable, interactive public diplomacy, with a focus on promoting youth exchanges who will lead the future of bilateral relations, will deepen the depth of understanding and breadth of empathy between the peoples of the two countries.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "The Korea-China Public Diplomacy Forum, held annually since 2013, was successfully held this year despite the COVID-19 situation, which is significant in solidifying its position as a representative public diplomacy consultative body between the two countries," adding, "Going forward, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of both countries will continue to activate interactive public diplomacy involving local governments, academia, economy, and media experts from both public and private sectors, contributing to the promotion of friendly cooperative relations and the solidification of the Korea-China strategic cooperative partnership."

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