Choi Tae-won, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sends Letter to Chambers in Over 130 Countries to 'Strengthen Cooperation'

Choi Tae-won, the newly appointed chairman of the Seoul Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is presiding over a meeting at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry executives' general assembly held on the 24th at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyewon] The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) announced on the 28th that it will send a letter on the 29th to more than 130 chambers of commerce worldwide, urging enhanced cooperation among chambers of commerce in various countries in line with the inauguration of its new president.

Choi Tae-won, Chairman of KCCI, stated in the letter, "The global economy continues to face short-term shocks and a structural low-growth trend due to COVID-19," adding, "I hope chambers of commerce worldwide will play a pivotal role in supporting their governments' economic policy formulation and improving the business environment."

Chairman Choi continued, "Although physical exchanges are difficult due to COVID-19, I expect chambers of commerce in each country to continue identifying pressing issues such as trade, environment, and technology through non-face-to-face exchanges," and added, "Once international travel becomes freer, I hope we can concretely discuss mutual cooperation measures through business delegations and information exchanges."

In particular, Chairman Choi conveyed to Ajay Banga, President of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), that "The ICC, as the world's largest private economic organization, plays an important role in providing policy recommendations to international organizations such as the UN, G20, OECD, and WTO," and expressed hope that KCCI and ICC will actively cooperate in the process of establishing new trade norms.

He also emphasized the need to strengthen private-level exchange and cooperation with the chambers of commerce of China and Japan, countries with close economic ties to Korea. Chairman Choi proposed to Gao Yan (高燕), Chairwoman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), that the chambers of commerce of Korea and China take a leading role in the joint development of the two countries.

To Zheng Feiyan, Chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE), with whom close exchanges have been maintained, he sent a separate letter expressing hope that the "Korea-China Business and Former Senior Government Officials Dialogue," held twice in 2018 and 2019 but postponed due to COVID-19, will be held soon, and urged that the consultative body continue to serve as a symbolic event for economic exchange and cooperation between the two countries.

Furthermore, Chairman Choi expressed to Akio Mimura, Chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, "I hope that the private-level exchange and cooperation, which have been built over a long period, will expand," and said, "Since 2002, the chambers of commerce of the two countries have alternately hosted the 'Korea-Japan Chamber of Commerce Presidents' Meeting' annually, but it has been suspended since 2018; I hope it can be resumed."

Chairman Choi had already sent a congratulatory letter on the inauguration to Susan Clark, Chairwoman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, on the 11th. In the letter, he emphasized, "Korea and the United States have been allies and economic cooperation partners for nearly 70 years," and added, "KCCI and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have played a pivotal role in strengthening Korea-U.S. economic cooperation." He further expressed hope that under the newly launched Joe Biden administration, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce will strive to strengthen Korea-U.S. relations as a leader of the new U.S. economy.

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