The President attended a business forum hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce �� Industry (KCCI) at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China on January 10.

About 100 Koreans from the KCCI and the business community, including STX Chairman Kang Duk-soo, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kang Ho-moon, Lotte Mart CEO Noh Byung-yong, and Korean Air President Ji Chang-hun, attended at the forum along with 100 Chinese businessmen from major companies.

During the keynote speech, The President praised the relationship between Korea and China, pointing out the fact that the two countries have reached the trade objective of USD 200 billion last year, earlier than planned. He also added that the two countries will easily reach the trade goal of USD 300 billion by 2015.

“As Korea and China mark the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, our economic relations also should actively move forward and mature,” said Chairman Son Kyung-shik of KCCI during his speech at the forum. “As it’s the era of the green economy, we will need to reinforce cooperation in such fields as the environment and resources.”

“Since 1992, the size and diversity of economic cooperation between the two countries have rapidly expanded in such a short period,” said Chairman Wan Jifei of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). “I’d like to ask Korean companies to keep up the good work as major business partners for Chinese companies.”

The KCCI is a civil economic group founded in 1884 to promote Korean trade and industry. It has conducted such activities as research on the current economic situation and industry, job training programs to foster human resources, and connecting the Korean government with various industries in Korea.

By Jessica Seoyoung Choi
Korea.net Staff Writer