2023 InChina Forum International Conference (On-site Speech)
Hello everyone. I'm delighted to meet you.
I am Yoo Jeong-bok, the Mayor of Incheon-si.
Today, I warmly welcome and thank all of you
who have joined us at the InChina Forum International Conference.
Special thanks to Shin Dong-seob,
Chairman of the Incheon City Council's Administration and Safety Committee,
Sim Jae-seon, President of the Chamber of Commerce,
Ambassador Xing Haiming for his continuous efforts
in advancing South Korea-China relations and Incheon's future with China,
and Vice Mayor Ju Feng of Tianjin who visited Incheon with the Tianjin delegation yesterday.
Also, my gratitude goes to Park Ho-koon, Director of the Incheon Research Institute,
and all those who prepared for this conference.
I would like to speak first about how the InChina Forum
came into being, its significance, and what we should do moving forward.
I believe South Korea-China relations, especially Incheon-China, are extremely special.
We are inseparable neighbors, historically, geographically, and culturally.
This is something you all know well.
Moreover, we recognize that building a more cooperative relationship for the future
is vital for the development of both countries, and not just historically and culturally.
Incheon is the optimal location for vibrant economic, human, and cultural exchanges with China,
being not only the closest geographically but also a hub of activity.
So, about 8 to 9 years ago, I initiated the InChina Project.
It was a project aimed at fostering a special relationship
by embedding Incheon in China and China in Incheon,
promoting mutual prosperity and development between Incheon and China.
Then, in 2016, we launched the InChina Forum,
continuously striving to enhance relations between the two countries.
This effort is part of the continuous work I did
during my time in the last popularly elected 6th term.
Even when South Korea-China relations were somewhat uncomfortable and awkward,
I attended the Boao Forum for Asia in 2017
as a representative of South Korea, maintaining closer ties.
In June, I was the only Korean participant at the Tianjin Summer Davos Forum,
where I met with political and economic leaders from around the world,
including WEF (World Economic Forum) President Børge Brende.
More importantly, the issue we seeked to solve was
how to develop a more progressive friendship and cooperative relationship
as Incheon and Tianjin celebrate 30 years of our sister city relationship.
In Tianjin, we had warm discussions about cooperation
with Party Secretary Chen Min Er and Mayor Zhang Gong, among others.
There were extensive discussions about making Incheon
and Tianjin the focus in addressing South Korea-China issues.
I also had the opportunity to give a special lecture
at Nankai University, a prestigious university in China.
All of this stems from my belief that Incheon
must play a pivotal role in advancing South Korea-China relations.
This view was positively and actively received
by the Chinese government and the Tianjin municipal government.
Consequently, we adopted a joint declaration
on the 30th anniversary of the Incheon-Tianjin sister city relationship.
This declaration was a consensus on how we will shape our future.
One aspect of this is the resumption of the currently suspended Incheon-Tianjin ferry service,
which will foster more active exchanges,
extending to economic, cultural, tourism, and academic exchanges.
Additionally, I emphasized the importance of recognizing the historical
and practical similarities that Incheon and Tianjin share.
China, with its population of over 1.4 billion,
has four major municipalities directly under the central government:
Tianjin, Beijing, Shanghai, and Chongqing.
Each of these cities has a population exceeding ten million.
Among them, Tianjin shares similarities with Incheon in logistics, maritime transport,
ports, airports, future high-tech industries, and economic free zones like Binhai New Area.
These cities are critical to the future of South Korea and China.
Maximizing the historical significance and practical conditions of these two cities,
we decided to intensify our efforts towards strengthening our cooperative relationship.
Thus, Incheon, Tianjin, and also Yokohama in Japan,
all sharing similar environments as port cities,
agreed to form a joint cooperative body to lead economic and national development.
Tianjin warmly accepted this proposal, and it's currently being implemented on a practical level.
Furthermore, during my tenure as mayor,
I hosted the first South Korea-China Provincial Governors Conference.
As president of the Governors Association of Korea, I held this conference right here in Songdo.
In November, there will likely be a South Korea-Japan Provincial Governors Conference,
which is expected to be held in Japan.
I have plans to host a South Korea-China-Japan Governors Conference.
Therefore, I believe that cities like these should take the initiative
to improve inter-country relations towards a better direction.
As you have just heard, Incheon and Tianjin can be considered mirrors to each other.
They are gateways to the capitals of South Korea and China,
and have played an absolute role in achieving today's growth and development.
Tianjin, for instance, has tourist attractions and industrial promotion that utilize its history and culture.
In Incheon, right now, I am spearheading the Jemulpo Renaissance Project,
which aims to revive and develop Incheon's history of port opening and creation.
I believe this will be a valuable foundation for sharing similar experiences and jointly developing them.
Our industrial structures are also similar.
Our airport is larger, with greater capacity, but Tianjin's port is a more significant trading hub than ours,
handling about 21 million TEUs annually.
During my last visit to Tianjin Port, I inspected the operation of the smart seaport.
Therefore, the exchange and cooperation between our two cities,
both dreaming of being logistics hubs with airports and ports,
as well as future high-tech industrial cities, is very important.
As you know, Incheon is a central city for future high-tech industries.
Incheon is already the world's leading city in biopharmaceuticals.
Besides that, our capabilities in fields like semiconductors,
UAM, and various aviation-related MRO businesses are remarkable.
These capabilities will be shared and further developed with Tianjin.
By 2025, UAM connecting Incheon International Airport and Seoul is expected to be commercialized.
Incheon will lead future industries.
The exchange between Incheon and China was very active,
but it slowed down temporarily due to COVID-19 and other factors.
However, with China now allowing group tours to South Korea,
many Chinese are visiting our country again.
Before COVID-19, over 5 million Chinese visited South Korea annually.
Additionally, what's particularly noteworthy is the distinct perception
and expectations our youth have towards both countries.
Chinese cuisine is very popular among young Koreans.
Similarly, young Chinese are fascinated by Korean K-pop and show great interest in Korean culture.
Was it in 2016? About 6,000 members of China's AURANCE Group came
and held a grand chicken and beer party in Wolmido.
Going forward, we will prepare strategies for attracting large-scale tourism,
aiming to bring even more Chinese tourists to Incheon.
Such regions, with shared historical, economic,
and cultural understanding, must be leveraged, right?
That is the future of Incheon and Tianjin,
and indeed, the future prosperity of South Korea and China.
Therefore, I commit to continuously pursuing these diverse activities going forward.
Indeed, the exchange between Incheon and China is not just a recent development.
It dates back 1,600 years, to 372 AD,
when China sent numerous envoys and engaged in logistics and trade.
Many of you are aware of the Neungheodae Festival in Yeonsu-gu, right?
Neungheodae was a key site for such exchanges, and Incheon is where it all happened.
The Neungheodae festival continues even today.
This long history is what defines the relationship between Incheon and China.
Being geographically close, we plan to fully utilize this proximity
to become a bridgehead, a hub, and a focal point for China.
Nationally, it’s true that various political circumstances, public opinions,
and international situations can sometimes make relations awkward.
That’s the nature of history and world order.
However, from a local government’s perspective, focusing solely on the region's future
and the mutual development of both regions,
and proceeding with exchanges and cooperation
from a more humanistic standpoint, is extremely important.
It's been 30 years since Incheon and Tianjin established a sister city relationship.
They say a decade is enough for rivers and mountains to change,
and during these three decades, we have forged our friendship.
Shouldn't we use this friendship and history as a foundation to move towards a better future?
Therefore, this InChina Forum International Conference
is particularly focused on our relationship with Tianjin,
as part of advancing our relations with China.
Many officials and businesspeople from Tianjin,
including Vice Mayor Ju Feng, are here for this occassion.
Today, export consultation sessions and various other activities
focused on cooperation enhancement and economic exchanges are taking place.
Incheon will continue to create a remarkable future through such efforts.
Now, we are looking at a world where G2 China,
with Tianjin at its heart, and South Korea, a top 10 global economic power,
with Incheon playing a significant role in its history, move towards a new, even better future.
I assure you that Incheon will lead this effort.
I hope this InChina Forum International Conference will be a valuable event
that effectively translates all our aspirations into reality.
Once again, I express my gratitude to everyone
who has joined the 2023 InChina Forum International Conference.
Let's imagine together the beautiful future
that lies ahead and march forward with even greater vigor.
