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Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul Attends the 2nd “Understanding China” Conference in Beijing
Source：CRI Online2015-11-17
Park Won-soon, mayor of Seoul, gives a lecture at the Central Party School
By Shan Lijuan for CRI Online
Park Won-soon, mayor of Seoul, South Korea, visited Beijing from November 1-4 and attended the 2nd “Understanding China” Conference and multiple Seoul-Beijing cooperation forums.
The 2nd “Understanding China” Conference was held between November 1-3 in Beijing. It was co-hosted by China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy (CIIDS), China People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA), Beijing Municipal Government and the 21st Century Council. Park was designated as a member of the 21st Century Council in 2014. This is his first time at the conference and fifth visit to China.
Over 40 former politicians, strategists and entrepreneurs from the world and Chinese government officials at central and local levels and scholars participated in the conference and discussed the 13th Five Year Plan as well as China’s role in world governance.
Park said that as the biggest client of Seoul’s tourism market and the biggest export market for South Korean companies, China has great influence over South Korea’s economy. He said that he hoped to better understand China through the conference and to seize the opportunity to build a better Seoul.
On the last day of his visit on November 4, Park met with Wang Anshun, Mayor of Beijing. The two parties agreed to strengthen cooperation in economic, cultural, education and environmental areas through the Beijing-Seoul Joint Committee. A new environmental group was added to the committee, signifying the official start of environmental cooperation between the two cities.
During his visit, Park also attended the forum on improving air quality, which aimed to explore options for cooperation between the two cities and possibilities for jointly developing technologies to improve the air quality. Park and the delegation also attended other activities such as exchanges between youth and artists of the two countries. They also hosted a 2015 Seoul-Beijing Investment Information Session.