From March 3 to 9, Liu Naijun, secretary of the Party Working Committee of the China-ROK (Changchun) International Cooperation Demonstration Zone, led a team to South Korea to carry out a 7-day activity for economic and trade exchanges. Yang Zhen, director of the Management Office of the Changchun Opening-up and Cooperation Demonstration Zone, and officials from relevant departments of the demonstration zone participated in the activity. During the activity, the team held 4 meetings with Chinese and South Korean government agencies, visited 11 South Korean companies, and successfully signed an agreement with a South Korean company. The first foreign visit in 2024 further strengthened cooperation with government and enterprises, deepened friendly exchanges, promoted the opening-up and investment promotion work of the demonstration zone at a higher level, on a larger scale and in a wider range, and injected new impetus into the implementation of the Breakthrough Project of Cooperation with South Korea.
Establish channels to facilitate communication
The team conducted in-depth exchanges with the Chinese Embassy in South Korea, the Chinese Consulate General in Busan and other 2 government agencies to establish communication channels.
At the meeting with the Chinese Embassy in South Korea, Liu Naijun and Ambassador Xing Haiming exchanged views on the economic development of the China-ROK Demonstration Zone. They had in-depth discussions on the current achievements, difficulties and future development direction of the demonstration zone. Xing said that the embassy will keep playing a bridging role, provide full support within its responsibilities, actively introduce the demonstration zone to all sectors of South Korea, and encourage Korean-funded enterprises to participate in the development of the demonstration zone, so as to boost the economic and trade development of the two countries.
During the talks with the Chinese Consulate General in Busan, Liu Naijun briefed Consul General Chen Ribiao on the purpose of the demonstration zone to carry out this activity for economic and trade exchanges and the situation of docking with South Korean companies. Chen said that the Consulate General will give strong support in personnel exchange facilitation, help the demonstration zone enhance communication and cooperation with small and medium-sized enterprises in South Korea, provide advice on strengthening close contact between the investment promotion office of the demonstration zone and the Consulate General, and encourage more South Korean enterprises to cooperate with the demonstration zone.
During the meeting with the Ansan municipal government in Gyeonggi-do, Liu Naijun and officials from the municipal government had discussions on strengthening friendly cooperation and exchanges. The two sides reached consensus on building a communication platform, establishing a long-term cooperation mechanism and promoting cooperation between the demonstration zone and Ansan city in the hydrogen energy sector. Liu and Ansan Urban Development Corporation held discussions on hydrogen fuel transportation technology. The team also visited Ansan SPG Hydrogen Production Company, Ansan Urban Development Corporation and the only smart hydrogen refueling station in Anshan.
At the meeting with the International Cooperation Office of the Regional Economic Department of the Guangyang Bay Area in Jeollanam-do, the two sides reached consensus on building a platform, promoting cooperation and enhancing exchanges.
Promote innovation to strengthen cooperation
During the talks with LG Ourhome, Liu Naijun noted that the company's products are very consistent with the development direction of the healthy food industry in the demonstration zone. The demonstration zone will keep pushing for the implementation of the central kitchen and pre-made food base project, he said. After discussions and exchanges, the two sides reached consensus on the matter of signing of a cooperation agreement in the near future. Liu invited leaders of LG Ourhome to visit the demonstration zone, and encouraged the company to establish a R&D center and gather more high-quality resources in the demonstration zone.
During the meeting with A2Z Auto Group, Liu Naijun and enterprise representative Han Zhiheng exchanged views on the development and cooperation prospects of fully autonomous vehicles. After an introduction of the overall situation of the demonstration zone and the development advantages of Changchun's automobile industry, Liu said that the demonstration zone can offer suitable scenario support for the research, development and road testing of fully autonomous vehicles to the company. He invited the company to visit the demonstration zone at the meeting.
During the meeting with Easybio headquarters, Liu Naijun said that Jilin province, as a major agricultural province, has sufficient cooperation space with Easybio. He expressed his hope that the company will strengthen cooperation with the demonstration zone with trade as the core. The demonstration zone will assist the company in conducting feed additive experiments in farms around Changchun, verifying the effectiveness of additives, and further promoting the company to establish an additive production base and a R&D center in the demonstration zone, Liu added.
At the meeting with NMC & UNITEKNO, the two sides had in-depth discussions on the establishment of a joint venture in the auto parts field. Liu Naijun said that Changchun's automobile industry has a solid foundation and is highly consistent with the company's business scope. He hoped to explore cooperation space with the South Korean side in the automobile field. Yang Zhen said that the demonstration zone will help the company explore markets and develop industries in the zone, with a favorable business environment and high-quality services.
During the meeting with KAR, the two sides had discussions on the technical application of converting new energy buses into hydrogen-powered buses.
At the meeting with Venture Capital Fund Company for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in South Korea, Liu Naijun said that attracting Korean-funded enterprises is the focus of the demonstration zone's investment promotion to South Korea. He suggested that the company and China-ROK Demonstration Zone Equity Fund establish a guide fund for Korean-funded enterprises with high growth and high added value in the demonstration zone, with shared risks and rewards. Liu expressed his hope that the company will actively participate in the development of the "park in the zone" operation model by using its abundant resources, and will strengthen contact with the demonstration zone on the basis of the visit. He invited the company to visit the demonstration zone at the meeting. Yang Zhen gave a detailed introduction to the advantages of the demonstration zone in 8 aspects such as its positioning and policies.
During the talks with South Korea's Rubines, discussions were held on the investment and construction of a production line in the demonstration zone. Both sides reached consensus on signing a cooperation agreement as soon as possible.
Deepen cooperation to boost development
The team visited WSG Group to learn about its development history, business scope and market layout. Liu Naijun and Yang Zhen jointly witnessed the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement between WSG Group and the China-ROK Demonstration Zone Equity Fund. WSG Group is a leading manufacturer of UHP precision engineering products in South Korea. It has long provided services for technology-intensive industries such as semiconductors and microelectronics. At the meeting, the two sides had in-depth discussions on the establishment of a company office and an ultra-high-strength stainless steel production line in the demonstration zone, and reached consensus on cooperation in such areas as equity investment, project implementation and market expansion.
The Chinese and South Korean government agencies and South Korean enterprises visited during the activity agreed that the development strategy of the demonstration zone is clear, the industrial positioning is precise, the infrastructure is complete, the business environment is excellent, and the development vitality is abundant. Taking the visit as an opportunity, they will expand cooperation space, leverage their respective strengths, carry out practical cooperation at a deeper level and in a wider range, and share development dividends.
