Vice Governor Koo Bon-young leads delegation to Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Nanning to explore AI and future industry partnerships
South Chungcheong Province is visiting key advanced industry hubs in China to explore ways to expand inter-regional cooperation in AI and other future industries and to identify joint projects.
The province said a delegation led by Political Vice Governor Koo Bon-young will travel to Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong Province, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Shanghai from Tuesday through Sunday.
The delegation includes representatives from Asan, research institutions such as the Chungnam Research Institute and Chungnam Technopark, provincial universities including Chungnam Provincial University and Soonchunhyang University, the Chungnam Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Federation, and private companies. The province expects the visit to lay a broader foundation for cooperation spanning policy, research, education and industry.
On Tuesday, the first day of the visit, the delegation will inspect a hydrogen fuel cell production facility operated by a major South Korean conglomerate in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province.
The delegation will then meet with the vice chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference to discuss ways to expand exchanges and cooperation in future industries, youth and education, marking the 10th anniversary of the two regions' sister-city relationship.
On Wednesday, the delegation travels to Shenzhen, one of China's leading reform and opening-up cities. There, the province and Asan will hold an investment environment briefing to strengthen ties with major Shenzhen companies and explore investment cooperation opportunities.
Also in Shenzhen, the Chungnam Research Institute will host a Korea-China Future Industry Cooperation Forum with participation from research institutions of both countries, sharing global trends in future industry policy and technology.
On Thursday, the delegation will visit Zhongqing Robot Technology, a Shenzhen-based physical AI company, to assess the technological level and commercialization status of physical AI in China.
The delegation will also visit an active drone delivery site in China to examine related technologies and service use cases, and explore ways to apply them within the province.
On Friday, the fourth day of the visit, the delegation heads to Nanning in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a hub for China-ASEAN exchanges and cooperation.
There, the delegation will visit the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo to support six provincial companies in expanding their presence in overseas markets.
The delegation will also visit an AI enterprise research and development base established by the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in August in the Wuxiang New District of Nanning — a complex spanning 65,000 square meters — to examine China's AI industry development policies and trends.
On Saturday, the delegation moves to Shanghai to receive a briefing on the operations of the province's China office before returning home Sunday.
"This delegation will directly assess the current state of China's future industries and examine each local government's future industry policies and trends, with the aim of identifying areas for cooperation and joint projects with our province," said Cho Il-gyo, director general of the province's economy and trade bureau.
"We also expect this visit to significantly strengthen our cooperative ties with Guangdong Province — China's top special economic zone — as well as with the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which serves as a gateway to southern China and ASEAN," Cho added.
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
