On the 5th, President Lee Jae-myung signed 14 memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the occasion of their summit, centered on "digital technology cooperation" and "expanding exports of wild-caught seafood," among other items. The two sides agreed to expand public-private exchanges across the digital spectrum, including cyber security, and to add refrigerated pomfret to the previously very small list of export items. The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety also registered Korean corporations' factories in bulk with Chinese export authorities to reduce corporate burdens. In addition, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and China's Ministry of Commerce agreed to establish a regular consultative body to discuss economic and trade cooperation agendas.
On the second day of the state visit to China, in the afternoon, Lee held a summit with Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and signed MOUs pledging cooperation in digital technology, transportation, environment and climate, child welfare, small and medium-sized enterprises, industrial complexes, food, and intellectual property. At the event, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol and the Ministers of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (MCEE), and Ministry of SMEs and Startups, as well as the heads of the respective Chinese ministries, each signed the documents.
The leaders of Korea and China on the day signed MOUs on ▲ cooperation on guaranteeing children's rights and promoting welfare ▲ cooperation on science and technology innovation to address global common challenges ▲ environment and climate cooperation ▲ digital technology cooperation ▲ the transportation sector ▲ small and medium-sized enterprises and innovation ▲ establishing a commerce cooperation dialogue ▲ industrial complex cooperation ▲ food safety cooperation ▲ sanitary measures for imports and exports of wild (natural) seafood ▲ deepening cooperation in the field of intellectual property ▲ mutual cooperation to protect intellectual property rights at borders ▲ cooperation between national park management authorities ▲ cooperation in the field of import and export animal and plant quarantine.
In particular, regarding small and medium-sized enterprises, the two sides agreed to use new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to boost startup and innovation capacity and to support the growth of startups in both countries. The aim is to expand the scope of economic cooperation, which had centered on large corporations, significantly to venture companies. On the last day of the China trip, on the 7th, Lee is also scheduled to visit Shanghai to attend the Korea-China Venture Startup Summit. In the digital field, the agreement specifies policy coordination on cyber security and digital diffusion.
The MOUs in the environment field are also notable. The two countries plan to expand cooperation into environmental areas such as improving air quality, including fine dust, climate change, and the circular economy. To this end, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (MCEE) and China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment will hold regular meetings at the Minister and Director General levels. The meetings will seek joint response measures in the areas of climate change, air quality, waste, and the climate-environment industry.
Earlier, Lee praised China's rapid advances in eco-friendly technology at a meeting with Korean residents in China the previous day. Lee said, "As I remember, every January, the most important issue for Korea was what to do about fine dust particles blowing in from China in February and March," adding, "Now we hardly worry about that anymore, and it has improved so much that people barely notice. I think it is remarkable progress."
They also signed a certificate of donation for cultural heritage. The government decided to donate to China's National Cultural Heritage Administration a pair of stone lion statues made during the Qing dynasty that are held by the Kansong Art Museum. The presidential office said, "By donating Chinese cultural heritage back to its home country, we are creating an opportunity to expand and promote Korea-China cultural cooperation."