1. Deputy Minister for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chung Byung-won had a meeting with a six-member delegation from China at the Foreign Ministry between 16:00 and 17:00 on Monday, September 23, and exchanged views on ways for enhancing exchanges and cooperation between provincial governments of the Republic of Korea and the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese delegation was on a visit to Korea for the first round of the 2024 Korea-China Future-Oriented Exchange Program.

※ The Chinese delegation was led by the Director General of the Department of Foreign Affairs Management of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and consisted of director-general-level officials from the Foreign Affairs Offices of the governments of Shanghai City, Zhenjiang Province, Guangdong Province and Chongqing City.

2. The Korea-China Future-Oriented Exchange Program is the Korean Foreign Ministry’s invitation program for director-general- or deputy director-general-level officials from Foreign Affairs Offices of Chinese provincial governments conducted from 1999 to 2019. After a five-year hiatus due to COVID-19, it was resumed this year.

3. Deputy Minister Chung said that the resumption of this program attests to Korea-China relations’ new phase of active communication and cooperation. He attached special significance to this round of the program, citing the Chinese delegation’s composition of officials from Shanghai, Guangdong, Zhenjiang and Chongqing which are major areas of China in terms of political and economic affairs and have been carrying out close exchanges with Korea.

4. Director General Chen Li, who led the delegation, expressed his gratitude to the Korean government for its warm hospitality and support. Citing the Chinese government’s careful selection of the members of the delegation, who include director-general-level officials from Foreign Affairs Offices of provincial governments of major regions of China, for the success of the program resumed after a five-year suspension, he expressed his hope that this visit to Korea will contribute to the expansion of exchanges and cooperation between provincial governments of Korea and China.

5. Deputy Minister Chung voiced his hope that the visit by the Chinese delegation, which is comprised of officials of the four major economic regions of China, will serve as a good opportunity to discuss ways to expand exchanges and cooperation with provincial governments of Korea, especially in the field of economy. In addition, referring to historical sites related to the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai, Zhenjiang, Guangdong and Chongqing, Deputy Minister Chung requested China’s cooperation in preserving and managing those sites.

※ Gross Regional Domestic Products (GRDP) of the four regions in 2023

   - Guangdong Province: USD 1.89 trillion (the largest among 31 provinces and cities in China) / Zhenjiang Province: USD 1.15 trillion (4th- largest) / Shanghai City: USD 657 billion (10th- largest) / Chongqing City: USD 420 billion (17th-largest)

6. In addition to the courtesy call on the Deputy Minister, the Chinese delegation will attend the dinner to be hosted by the Director-General of the Northeast and Central Asian Affairs Bureau of the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, meet with the Vice Governor of Gyeonggi-do (province) for Economy, and visit the Governors Association of the Republic of Korea, Busan Metropolitan City and Korean companies in order to explore ways to expand cooperation between provincial governments of Korea and China.

7. Based on the consensus reached during high-level exchanges, Korea and China are implementing projects to promote mutually beneficial and practical cooperation and friendly sentiment between their peoples. This visit by the Chinese delegation is expected to contribute to facilitating exchanges between provincial governments of the two countries.

8. The Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to actively pursue exchange programs between provincial governments of Korea and China in view that they serve as a significant cooperation platform that substantively leads the development of Korea-China relations and complements cooperation between the central governments of the two countries.