Incheon Port Authority President Lee Kyung-Gyu led a delegation to the Qingdao Area of the China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone, known as the Qingdao FTZ, on Sept 11, to explore joint projects in smart ports, shipping-network optimization, and cross-border e-commerce.
Gao Shanwu, director of the Qingdao FTZ Administration Committee, met with Lee and his team from South Korea. During the meeting, Gao emphasized that Qingdao and Incheon, as key points in the China-Japan-South Korea economic circle, have significant potential for trade and economic collaboration.
He highlighted the zone's efforts to build high-level cooperation platforms, improve trade and logistics channels, and develop new business models such as multimodal transport and cross-border e-commerce. These initiatives have significantly improved trade facilitation in the Northeast Asia region.
Gao also mentioned that the Qingdao FTZ is accelerating the implementation of a free trade zone enhancement strategy, expanding its international openness, and establishing the Qingdao base of the China-Japan-South Korea innovation cooperation center.
He expressed hope for deeper cooperation, joint exploration of regular cooperation mechanisms, and strengthened industrial integration to elevate China-South Korea economic and trade cooperation to a higher level.
Lee expressed appreciation for the innovation and achievements of the Qingdao FTZ. He hoped to expand cooperation in optimizing shipping networks, building smart ports, and cross-border e-commerce to promote high-quality development in both regions' port and shipping industries.
China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone Qingdao Area
