Deputy Director General Li Hui of the Foreign Affairs Office of Beijing Municipal Government met online with Kim Yoon-Ha, head of the international exchanges division of Seoul, the Republic of Korea (ROK), on February 9, 2021. They exchanged views on topics like preparation for the fourth plenary meeting of the Joint Committee of Exchanges and Cooperation between Beijing and Seoul and cementing the sister-city ties.
Li Hui reviewed the exchanges between the two cities, especially their joint efforts to fight COVID-19 after the outbreak of the virus. He also gave a brief introduction to Beijing's plans to build "two zones," "three forums" and the international center for scientific and technological innovation, and proposed adjustment to the organization structure of the joint committee. Li Hui pointed to Beijing's efforts in preparation for the fourth plenary meeting of the joint committee, saying the city is ready to work together with Seoul to make full use of the joint committee mechanism to increase the two cities' cooperation in business and trade, science and technology, culture, environmental protection and other fields.
Kim Yoon-Ha said that the two cities have had friendly exchanges and practical cooperation in many fields since they became sister cities in 1993. She pledged further efforts to work closely with the Foreign Affairs Office of Beijing Municipal Government on the preparations for the fourth plenary meeting of the joint committee and adjustments to its organization structure to bring the friendly ties between the two cities to a new level.
The joint committee was founded by the governments of Beijing and Seoul in April 2013, the 20th anniversary of the sister-city ties between the two cities, to advance their exchanges and cooperation in various fields. The mechanism aims to tap into their potential for cooperation in various fields, promote mutually-beneficial and practical cooperation between different sectors of the two cities, and strengthen their friendship to facilitate their respective economic and social development.
