Chey Tae-won, chair of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, visited China ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit opening on the 28th to ensure the event's successful hosting and to strengthen business cooperation between Korea and China.
According to KORCHAM on the 12th, Chey visited Beijing and Shanghai in turn from 10th to the day, meeting key figures from the Chinese government and business community. The purpose of the visit was to seek cooperation from China, the next APEC chair, and to make the CEO Summit a venue for tangible progress in bilateral economic cooperation.
On the 10th in Beijing, Chey met He Lifeng, vice premier of the China State Council, and Ren Hongbin, chair of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), to review the status of bilateral economic cooperation and discuss private-sector cooperation measures such as expanding exchanges among corporations.
CCPIT plans to participate in this APEC CEO Summit leading a large Chinese delegation of representatives from more than 100 corporations, and it is the organizing institution for next year's APEC CEO Summit. Both sides agreed to maintain a partnership going forward and to cooperate for the successful hosting of the event and the creation of concrete outcomes.
Chey said, "As the most influential trade and investment promotion agency in China, CCPIT has long played an important role in Korea-China economic cooperation and has built a partnership, including carrying out exchanges with KORCHAM," adding, "We welcome the Chinese delegation of corporate representatives led by Chair Ren Hongbin."
He added, "As this CEO Summit is composed of sessions that encompass key private-sector cooperation agendas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors, carbon neutrality and energy transition, and global supply chains, we hope it will serve as an opportunity for corporations of both countries to strengthen external exchanges and cooperation."
From 11th to 12th, Chey traveled to Shanghai to meet with Chen Jining, Shanghai party secretary, and attended the 37th International Business Leaders Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai (IBLAC).
Since its launch in 1989, IBLAC has been a global economic cooperation forum that brings together CEOs of major global corporations and the Shanghai city leadership. At the event, Chey asked Shanghai officials and others for their interest in and participation in the APEC CEO Summit to be held in Gyeongju.
Yoon Cheol-min, head of international trade at KORCHAM, said, "For the successful hosting of the APEC CEO Summit, the interest and cooperation of key partner countries are essential," noting, "Through the visit to China, the next chair and Korea's biggest trading partner, we expect this APEC CEO Summit to serve as an opportunity to broaden the horizon of bilateral economic cooperation."