Kim Dongyeon Meets Chinese Ambassador, Expresses Hope for President Xi Jinping's Attendance at APEC in October

Gyeonggi Province Governor Dongyeon Kim expressed his hopes that Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju this October.

On August 21, ahead of the anniversary of Korea-China diplomatic relations (August 24), Governor Kim met with Dai Bing, the Chinese Ambassador to Korea, at the Gyeonggi Central Cooperation Headquarters in Seoul. He stated, "I look forward to President Xi Jinping's participation in APEC this fall," and added, "I hope this will serve as an opportunity to restore Korea-China relations, which have become somewhat distant since the pandemic."

Governor Kim emphasized, "Economic cooperation between Korea and China must be strengthened," and continued, "In particular, regarding the area of people-to-people exchanges, which I have long focused on, I plan to propose related initiatives during my business trip to China next month."

Ambassador Dai Bing responded, "I appreciate your insight, which extends beyond Gyeonggi Province to international affairs," and said, "China and Korea share common challenges, and both countries are strong supporters of the international trade system. We support the protection of stable supply and production chains, as well as trade security."

He added, "We are grateful that Koreans welcome President Xi Jinping's visit to Korea. As Korea is a neighboring country and China's largest trading partner, and since you are a respected leader in the economic field with extensive experience in bilateral trade, I hope you will promote cooperation between businesses and regions."

Gyeonggi Province Governor Dongyeon Kim warmly shakes hands with Dai Bing, the Chinese Ambassador to Korea, on the 21st at the Gyeonggi Central Cooperation Headquarters in Seoul. Photo by Gyeonggi Province

Since 1993, the year after the establishment of Korea-China diplomatic relations, Gyeonggi Province has forged sisterhood and friendship agreements with eight provincial-level governments in China, starting with Liaoning Province. The province has actively engaged in exchanges and cooperation in various fields, including economic and trade relations, culture, arts, environment, and agricultural science and technology.

In particular, in November 2023, Governor Kim visited China to discuss economic cooperation measures with Vice Premier He Lifeng and agreed to expand practical cooperation with Hao Peng, Party Secretary of Liaoning Province, and Li Lecheng, Governor of Liaoning Province. Last year, the Party Secretary of Liaoning Province visited Gyeonggi Province in return, and the Party Secretary of Jiangsu Province also visited, leading to the signing of a sisterhood agreement with Jiangsu Province. Through these efforts, Gyeonggi has continued to strengthen its cooperative relationships with key figures from both the central and local governments of China.

Next month, Governor Kim will visit Chongqing, the economic center of western and central China; Shanghai, the country's economic capital; and Jiangsu Province, the largest destination for Korean corporate investment, to further strengthen economic and friendship cooperation with China.

As of last year, Gyeonggi Province's trade volume with China reached $91.5 billion (28.8%), making China its largest trading partner and accounting for 33.5% of all Korea-China trade involving the province.

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