Attended Paris-hosted Climate Action Mayors' Meeting and C40 Steering Committee
Established Cooperation for Growth of Chongqing Bioindustry Ecosystem
High-level Korea-China Capital Meeting with Beijing Mayor after 6 Years
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon will visit France and China for 7 nights and 9 days starting from the 24th to promote economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation with major cities around the world. In Paris, France, he is scheduled to attend the 'Climate Action Mayors Meeting,' and in Chongqing and Beijing, China, he plans to lay the foundation for economic diplomatic cooperation.
Mayor Oh, who will move to Paris on the 24th, will attend an international conference on climate to explore joint responses to the climate crisis with cities worldwide and participate in events related to the '2024 Paris Olympics.' He will then visit advanced industrial clusters such as bio and robotics in major Chinese cities, sign business agreements, and engage in key schedules including startup and university venture incubating sites, aiming to develop plans for future advanced cities. Mayor Oh was invited to the French 'Climate Action Mayors Meeting' and China's 'Beijing and Chongqing' and has an obligation to attend the C40 Steering Committee meeting as the vice-chairman of C40.
Climate Action Mayors Meeting with Global Mayors... Introducing Seoul's Climate Leadership
On the morning of the 25th, the 'Climate Action Mayors Meeting' held locally in Paris will focus on the theme of energy and transition from fossil fuels, where Mayor Oh will share Seoul's achievements in responding to the climate crisis with cities worldwide. This meeting is the first event hosted by the City of Paris this year, with mayors from 36 cities including Athens, Copenhagen, and Rome invited to attend.
In the afternoon, he will attend the 'C40 Steering Committee Meeting,' where Seoul serves as a vice-chair city. At this meeting, Mayor Oh will introduce Seoul's climate leadership, including the 'Climate Companion Building Project,' which manages building energy use to reduce greenhouse gases. C40 is a global alliance of mayors from major cities responding to the climate crisis, with 15 steering committee members serving as vice-chairs, including Seoul, Tokyo, Paris, and Montreal.
He will also cheer for the Korean athletes participating in this Olympics. At 'Arena Paris Sud,' he plans to watch and support the handball match between South Korea and Germany, where athletes from Seoul City Hall are competing. Eleven athletes from Seoul City Hall are participating in five sports at this Paris Olympics: Taekwondo, gymnastics, handball, sport climbing, and fencing.
On the morning of the 26th, he will visit Andr? Citro?n Park, the only park in Paris connected by a river, to observe the world's largest tethered helium balloon, 'Ballon de Paris Generali,' and various architectural and garden spaces within the park, seeking points of convergence for creating a garden city in Seoul. 'A?rofil SAS,' the manufacturer of Ballon de Paris Generali, is also the manufacturer of 'Seoul Dal' in Yeouido Park, scheduled to open in August.
Visiting Chongqing and Beijing to Establish Cooperation Foundations in Urban and Economic Fields
In China, Mayor Oh will begin economic diplomatic cooperation by visiting the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea building located in Chongqing. On the 28th local time, he will hold a meeting with descendants of independence activists during the visit and introduce Seoul's veterans' policies. In the afternoon, he will visit the Chongqing Urban Planning Exhibition Hall to tour the exhibition and observe waterfront development and the process of creating nighttime attractions. Currently, Seoul City is also establishing an urban exhibition hall in the basement of Seoul City Hall to share its urban spatial philosophy with citizens.
On the 29th, he will visit the '18 Streets Traditional Style District' and 'Chongqing Hongguang Guild Hall' to explore the unique charm, history, and culture of Chongqing, which is rapidly emerging as a tourist city. The '18 Streets Traditional Style District' is characterized by wooden buildings combining traditional and modern elements, and the 'Chongqing Hongguang Guild Hall' is the oldest historic guild hall building in China. He will then visit the 'Chongqing Dadi Life Science Park' to hear about China's bioindustry development plans and discuss cooperation measures with Seoul.
Mayor Oh will meet with Hu Henghua, Mayor of Chongqing, to discuss revitalizing urban diplomacy in culture and tourism and expanding cooperation in economic and industrial sectors. After the meeting, he will attend a business agreement ceremony between 'Seoul Bio Hub' and 'Chongqing Yangtze New Area Development Investment Group,' supporting joint development and active technology and talent exchanges between the two organizations.
In Beijing, a high-level Korea-China capital meeting will take place for the first time in six years. Moving to Beijing on the 30th, Mayor Oh will visit Peking University to share ways to promote exchanges of outstanding young talents between Korea and China. Afterwards, he will have a meeting with Yin Yong, Mayor of Beijing, at Beijing City Hall. Mayor Yin Yong previously served as Vice Governor of the People's Bank of China and took office as Beijing Mayor in 2023. He is the youngest senior official among the 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China.
Seoul and Beijing established a sister city relationship in 1993, a year after Korea-China diplomatic relations were established in 1992, and have maintained active exchanges in various fields such as culture, tourism, and economy for over 30 years. This meeting is expected to strengthen the future-oriented economic relationship and bring new vitality to urban diplomacy by addressing agendas faced by both cities.
On the 31st, Mayor Oh will visit the 'Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center,' the first provincial-level facility of its kind in China, located in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, to learn about Beijing's policies supporting the robotics industry and seek ways to apply them to Seoul's robotics industry. In the afternoon, he will visit 'Zhongguancun,' known as China's Silicon Valley, to tour major startup support facilities and continue sharing strategies for developing the domestic startup ecosystem and fostering startups.
On the final day, the 1st, Mayor Oh will visit the 'Beijing Future Science City' in the morning to hear policies related to robotics, medical care, and energy, and conceive innovative ideas for development as Asia's representative advanced industrial city. The 'Beijing Future Science City' is characterized by infrastructure such as housing, culture, and education to ensure the stable settlement of global science and technology talents.
Additionally, Mayor Oh has planned meetings with executives from large and medium-sized enterprises, small and medium enterprises, and startups operating locally. At these meetings, he will listen to difficulties in business activities in China, industrial and economic conditions, and explore support measures for local companies and directions for Seoul's economic policy development to create a stable business environment in China.
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