Sailing the Sino-Korean Business and Trade Cooperation Channel: Opportunities for Development Discussed at the Sino-Korean Business Forum

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 5th - Title: Sailing the Economic and Trade Wind, Expanding the Channel of Cooperation - China-Korea Business Forum Discusses New Opportunities for Development

Xinhua News Agency reporters Zou Duowei and Lu Junyu

"Enhancing manufacturing efficiency through AI", "Creating a digital barrier-free environment", "Providing integrated travel services"... On January 5th, the China-Korea Business Forum, co-hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was held in Beijing. Focusing on new opportunities for pragmatic cooperation and new prospects for mutual benefit and win-win results, about 400 political and business leaders engaged in in-depth discussions.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, China and South Korea, as important close neighbors and economic and trade partners, have continuously demonstrated the resilience of their economic and trade cooperation. Data shows that China has been South Korea's largest trading partner for 21 consecutive years, and the trade volume between the two countries has remained above 300 billion US dollars for many years. In the first 11 months of 2025, China's import and export with South Korea amounted to 298.895 billion US dollars, an increase of 0.8% year-on-year.

Participants expressed that the achievements of China-Korea cooperation are of great significance in themselves. What is even more commendable is that, against the backdrop of increasing global economic uncertainty, the two countries have consistently adhered to the principle of mutual trust and mutual benefit to continuously promote cooperation, making it a valuable asset in China-Korea relations.

"At the beginning of 2026, hundreds of business representatives gathered here despite their busy official schedules, fully demonstrating the high expectations of the business community for economic cooperation between South Korea and China," said Choi Tae-won, President of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of SK Group. "This will bring more tangible benefits to the people of both countries and inject stronger momentum into mutually beneficial cooperation between the two nations.".

In recent years, while the trade volume between the two countries has been steadily increasing, structural adjustments have also emerged in their economic cooperation relationship. "Today's China-Korea cooperation should achieve complementary advantages through industrial innovation and stable supply chains, jointly exploring new opportunities in their respective markets," representatives of Chinese entrepreneurs generally believe. While consolidating cooperation in traditional fields, China and Korea need to further tap into the potential for cooperation in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, biopharmaceuticals, and green industries, enhance trade and investment linkage, and promote quality improvement and upgrading of cooperation.

Personnel exchanges are the foundation of communication and cooperation between countries. In November 2024 and September 2025, China and South Korea successively implemented visa facilitation measures, leading to a significant increase in mutual travel between the two peoples. Currently, there are more than 1,000 scheduled flights between the two countries every week. Driven by this, mutual visits between young people from the two countries have become increasingly active in recent times: cultural tours in Seoul and Korean beauty makeup experiences have become popular travel options for Chinese young people, while "flying to Shanghai after work on Friday" has become a new trend among young South Koreans.

"Deepening exchanges and fostering mutual understanding among people is crucial," said Kim Sung-jin, the head of the China Regional Center of the Korea Tourism Organization. Whether it's further developing duty-free shop resources or enhancing cooperation in the fields of beauty and healthcare, these have transcended the general scope of tourism, providing opportunities for close experience of each other's services and cultures. They can also extend to manufacturing, consumer goods investment, and open up new cooperation spaces for the life service industry.

"This is a rare opportunity for us to discuss friendship, cooperation, and development together," said Ren Hongbin, President of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). CCPIT is willing to build a high-quality platform for cooperation between the Chinese and Korean business communities, provide comprehensive services, promote the healthy and stable development of Sino-Korean economic relations, better benefit the two countries and their peoples, and jointly create a new situation of win-win cooperation. (End)