1. The third forum on economic cooperation between the Republic of Korea and the three northeastern provinces of China -- Jilin, Liaoning and Heilongjiang -- will take place in Shenyang, China, on July 18. The event will be co-hosted by the ROK Foreign Ministry (Consulate General in Shenyang) and the three Chinese provinces with the support of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) and the Korea Chamber of Commerce in China.

◦ The ROK delegation to the forum will consist of some 200 key government officials and entrepreneurs, including the Foreign Ministry’s Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs Ahn Chong-ghee, Consul-General to Shenyang Shin Bong-sup and Vice President of KITA Ahn Hyeon-ho. The Chinese side will be composed of some 550 high-ranking government officials of the three provinces and business people.

2. Despite their abundant resources and bases for heavy industry, the three northeastern provinces of China lagged behind other provinces. However, since 2003 when the Chinese government started to implement the “Revitalize Northeast Area” plan designed to develop their backward industrial bases into a new industrial hub, the three provinces have been emerging as one of China’s four pillars of economic growth.

* The four major pillars of economic growth of China are the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, the Yangtze River Delta in Jiangsu province, the Bohai region including Beijing and Tianjin, and the three northeastern provinces.

3. On the sidelines of the forum, the ROK and the three Chinese provinces will hold a session on their respective investment environments. In the meeting, the two sides will review the development status of the three Chinese provinces attributable to the implementation of the “Revitalize Northeast Area” plan and discuss new ways to pursue economic cooperation between the two sides.

◦ In addition, Korean and Chinese business people in such promising sectors as public healthcare, bioscience, distribution and logistics will attend an exchange event and seek opportunities to expand investment and trade between them.

4. The forum was first held in Jilin province, China, in 2012 to mark the 20th anniversary of the ROK-China diplomatic relations. The second of its kind took place in Seoul in October 2013.


               Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation