Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae meets Chinese ambassador to discuss bilateral exchange

Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae met with Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing on Thursday to discuss ways to strengthen friendly ties between the two countries and expand exchange and cooperation between Incheon and China.

During the meeting, Park and Dai agreed on the importance of bilateral friendship and cooperation, and committed to invigorating local-government-level exchanges to deepen practical collaboration across economic, cultural and people-to-people fields.

Park said Incheon holds a unique historical significance and geographic advantage as a leading gateway for South Korea-China exchange.

"Incheon faces the Shandong Peninsula across the Yellow Sea, and it is where Korea's ethnic Chinese community first took root and where the country's oldest Chinatown stands — the very starting point of the Korea-China connection," Park said. "Practical cooperation between the two countries will only grow more important, spanning not just the economy, culture and the environment but also future industries."

Park added that he would work to expand forward-looking exchange between Incheon and China throughout his term, supporting the friendly development of the bilateral relationship. He also expressed his intention to continue meeting with Ambassador Dai to advance discussions on that front.

Dai congratulated Park on his inauguration and praised Incheon's sustained efforts to build exchange and cooperation with China.

"Incheon has consistently expanded its exchange and cooperation with China at the local-government level, contributing greatly to mutual understanding and goodwill between the two peoples," Dai said. "We look forward to Incheon continuing to actively pursue cooperation with China and serving as a central force in local-government exchange between the two countries."

Incheon has also been steadily deepening its cooperation with the Chinese Embassy in South Korea. Since 2019, the two sides have co-hosted the InChina Forum, developing it into a platform that connects knowledge, exchange and business between South Korea and China.