Kim Dong-yeon to Visit Three Chinese Regions to Strengthen Economic and Friendly Cooperation
[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gap-dong] A Gyeonggi Province delegation led by Governor Kim Dong-yeon will visit Chongqing, the economic center of central-western China, Shanghai, the economic capital, and Jiangsu Province, which ranks second in economic scale, for 5 nights and 6 days from September 22 to 27 with the aim of strengthening economic and friendly cooperation with China.
Governor Kim's visit to China is his second since taking office. In November 2023, Governor Kim visited China, discussed economic cooperation plans with Vice Premier Hu Chunhua, and agreed to expand substantive cooperation with Liaoning Province's Party Secretary Hao Peng and Governor Li Loksi.
Through Governor Kim's visit to China this time, Gyeonggi Province plans to strengthen exchanges with new economic hub cities in China and activate substantive cooperation in economy, culture, and tourism sectors to contribute to enhancing friendly cooperation between the two countries.
Accordingly, AI entrepreneurs based in Gyeonggi Province will accompany the delegation on this China visit. Companies including NHN Cloud, Hangul and Computer, Daimresearch, AI Works, and Initech—companies representing South Korea's finest AI technology—will visit Chongqing and Shanghai together to explore cooperation and exchange with China's AI industry.
Diplomatic activities at the provincial level, including the conclusion of friendly cooperation agreements, will also be carried out. During this visit, Governor Kim will establish new friendly cooperation agreements with Chongqing, the economic center of central-western China, and Shanghai, the economic capital, and discuss ways to deepen cooperation with Jiangsu Province on the first anniversary of their friendly city relationship.
The conclusion of a friendly cooperation agreement with Chongqing holds deep significance as it bears fruit through practical consultation following President Lee Jae-myung's proposal in 2019 when he was serving as Gyeonggi Province governor to expand cooperation between the two cities during his visit to Chongqing.
In addition to concluding the friendly cooperation agreement with Chongqing, the province will sign two memorandums of understanding (MOUs). The Gyeonggi Economic Science and Technology Promotion Agency will sign an MOU on economy & trade and business cooperation with Chongqing's Commerce Commission, and will sign an MOU on cutting-edge industries such as AI, biotechnology, and new materials with Liangjiang New Area to strengthen substantive exchanges and cooperation. Liangjiang New Area is counted as a key region alongside Pudong New Area and Tianjin New Area as one of China's three major national new areas. In China, a "new area (新区)" refers to an administrative and economic special zone designated for new development.
In Shanghai, China's economic capital, Governor Kim will visit Tencent, a major Chinese big tech company, together with AI companies to discuss AI cooperation, and will present 100 Korean books including works by author Han Kang, a Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, to Shanghai Library, China's largest library, while also strengthening public diplomacy efforts.
Jiangsu Province, the largest investment destination for Korean companies, will also be visited. Following the upgrade of bilateral relations with Jiangsu Province to a friendly sister city relationship after the Jiangsu Party Secretary's visit to Gyeonggi Province last June, this return visit aims to continue strengthening cooperation. The delegation plans to conclude an environmental sector agreement and sign an investment agreement for secondary battery component manufacturing, establishing the foundation for Korea-China cooperation in cutting-edge new industries.
Meanwhile, following Governor Kim Dong-yeon's 2023 visit to China, Gyeonggi Province has been strengthening cooperative relationships with major figures in China's central and local governments, with Liaoning Province's Party Secretary making a reciprocal visit to Gyeonggi Province in 2024 and Jiangsu Province's Party Secretary also visiting to conclude a friendly sister city relationship with Jiangsu Province.
Gyeonggi Province's trade volume with China stood at $91.5 billion (28.8%) as of last year, making China the province's largest trading partner, and Gyeonggi Province accounts for 33.5% of Korea-China trade.