Gyeonggi Province and China’s Jilin Province arranged a venue for the exploration of ways in which to develop the economies and agricultural industries of both regions.

Gyeonggi Province invited 38 leaders of policy and agriculture from China’s Jilin Province to Korea for a five-day visit from July 16 to 20, and announced training for the expansion of exchange and cooperation between the two regions.

This invitational training strengthens the economic cooperation network linking Gyeonggi Province and Jilin Province, and aims to foster projects that will contribute to the lives of residents in both regions through the formulation of development plans in agricultural and industrial fields.

Important provincial agricultural and industrial sites will be examined during this training period, such as the Mushroom Research Station under the Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services, as well as the Agricultural Food Logistics Center and the Nonghyup Seed Center.

Additionally, Gyeonggi Province and Jilin Province will hold discussions on agricultural and industrial collaboration and examine ways in which to improve exchange and cooperation between the provinces. Gyeonggi Province plans to propose cooperation regarding new technologies in its major agricultural and industrial fields, such as agricultural machinery, organic pesticides, traditional alcohols, and tomato cultivation.

Foreign Policy Director Park No-keuk stated “Gyeonggi Province and Jilin Province have the shared geographical feature of bordering North Korea, and with peaceful winds blowing across the Korean Peninsula, we are preparing for a future era of unification through basic industrial and agricultural exchange and cooperation, and shall establish firm foundations for friendly collaboration between the two provinces. We will strive to expand exchange and cooperation in various areas such as agriculture, of course, as well as economy, personnel interchange, the environment, and more through this training session.”

China’s Jilin Province, bordering both North Korea and Russia, is an important geopolitical region that accounts for 85% (1,206 km) of the Sino-North Korean border. Among China’s four economic blocs and three northeast provinces, Jilin is especially renowned for its superlative economic growth rate, which stems from its massive production base for automobiles, high speed rail, and food.

Gyeonggi Province, after entering into a cooperative relationship with Jilin Province in August of 2014, has been pursuing multi-faceted exchange and cooperation efforts including reciprocal visits by representatives and working teams as well as initiatives in agricultural science and technology, international development, the environment, and commerce.