The Guangxi-South Korea Investment Cooperation Conference, or Guangxi Tourism (Seoul) Promotion Conference, was held in Seoul on Oct 15. A number of government officials from Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and South Korea, as well as the Chinese Ambassador to South Korea, attended the conference.

China and South Korea face each other across a narrow strip of water, and the bilateral strategic partnership between the two countries has been upgraded over the past few years, providing a promising future for expanding cooperation in trade, investment and many other fields. Under China's the Belt and Road Initiative, both sides are expected to gain mutual benefits and win-win results, according to Chen Wu, chairman of the regional government.

Chen believes that both sides should focus their energies on China-ASEAN ties and the construction of the Southern Transport Corridor, or the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Connectivity Initiative Southern Transport Corridor, while taking full advantage of South Korea's strengths in electronic information, intelligent vehicles, ship building and repairing, household chemicals, bio-medicine and port logistics. In addition, the two countries will increase mutual investments and deepen cooperation in the tourism and healthcare industries.

Qiu Guohong, Chinese ambassador to South Korea, said at the conference that Guangxi plays a significant role in promoting in-depth cooperation between China and ASEAN, and that China and South Korea are highly complementary.

Jin Changgui, a representative from South Korea, expressed his hope that the country will cooperate with Guangxi to jointly explore third-party markets and expand their cooperative potential.

At the promotion conference, Chen extended a warm welcome to the South Korean delegates, inviting them to attend the 2018 China-ASEAN Expo Tourism Exhibition held in Guilin city, Guangxi from Oct 26 to 28.

Both sides have signed a strategic cooperation agreement on enhancing bilateral ties. 

Chen Wu (C), chairman of the regional government, makes a speech at the conference in Seoul. [Photo by Liang Kaichang/gxnews.com.cn]

Chen Wu (C) presents Guangxi handicrafts to South Korean delegates. [Photo by Liang Kaichang/gxnews.com.cn]