Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo (right) meets with Jin Yibiao, consul general of China in Busan, at the city hall's international protocol room on Tuesday to discuss ways to expand exchange and cooperation. [Busan City]
Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo (right) meets with Jin Yibiao, consul general of China in Busan, at the city hall's international protocol room on Tuesday to discuss ways to expand exchange and cooperation. [Busan City]

Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo met with Jin Yibiao, consul general of China in Busan, at the city hall's international protocol room on Tuesday to discuss ways to expand exchange and cooperation across a range of sectors — including trade, maritime industry and tourism — between Busan and Chinese local governments, the city said Wednesday.

At the meeting, Jeon described Busan and China as "important partners that have maintained a close relationship over a long period across diverse fields including trade, culture and tourism." He added that "Chinese tourists play a very important role in revitalizing Busan's tourism," and pledged to "do our utmost to improve the tourism environment and enhance convenience so that Chinese visitors can more easily enjoy a variety of experiences, especially as interest in Busan has grown following recent world-class cultural events held here."

Jin said he was honored to be the first foreign mission chief to call on the mayor since his inauguration, describing Busan as "a world-class port city that has maintained active exchanges with many Chinese cities, as well as a city with strong competitiveness in healthcare and education." He added that "the foundation for people-to-people exchange is very solid, given the large number of Chinese residents and international students living in Busan," and expressed hope that "exchanges and cooperation between Busan and Chinese local governments will continue to develop further across diverse fields including trade, maritime industry and tourism."

Jeon said exchanges between Busan and Chinese local governments are "an important foundation for the joint development of both regions and for deepening mutual understanding among their citizens," and pledged to "work actively with the Chinese Consulate General in Busan to achieve tangible results."

Busan has maintained active exchanges with six Chinese cities — Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Chongqing, Beijing and Guangzhou — since establishing a sister-city relationship with Shanghai in 1993. The city is also building a foundation for maritime and economic cooperation with Ningbo and Qingdao.


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