Gov. Nam Kyung-pil Says Korea-China FTA is "Both Crisis and Opportunity"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil assessed the Korea-China FTA as both a "crisis and opportunity," expressing his commitment to finding ways for mutual development between the two nations.

During an interview with China's Nanfang Daily on the 12th while visiting China to attend the 'Global Business Leaders Roundtable,' Governor Nam stated, "The Korea-China FTA has been successfully concluded and economic relations between the two countries will be comprehensively upgraded," and added, "The Korea-China FTA is both a crisis and an opportunity, and I will actively cooperate so that both nations can achieve good outcomes."

He continued, "While it is difficult to predict the immediate impact of the Korea-China FTA, it is certain that exchanges between the two countries will increase," and added, "Through Gyeonggi Province's think tank and other channels, we will research ways for both nations to complement each other's weaknesses and preserve their strengths."

Governor Nam stated, "To find mutually beneficial cooperation measures between Korea and China, I visit China two to three times a year," and revealed, "I also visited China in March this year, where we signed an MOU for the establishment of the 'Korea-China Digital Content Forum' (IDCF) and discussed cooperation measures."

Meanwhile, the provincial government announced on the 11th that following the conclusion of the Korea-China FTA, small and medium-sized export companies in the province competing with Taiwan and Japan in the Chinese market are expected to gain a more favorable position than before.

A provincial official stated, "We will prepare measures to secure competitiveness in the agriculture, fishery, and livestock sectors where damage is expected," and added, "Through FTA utilization centers established in Suwon and Goyang, we plan to promote export facilitation for small and medium-sized enterprises in the province."