On December 12, 2022, the third round of China-South Korea Entrepreneurs and Former Senior Officials Dialogue, co-hosted by China Center for International Economic Exchanges and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was held online. Delegates from both sides had a candid and in-depth dialogue on topics such as "Global Economic Situation and China-South Korea Economic Development" and "Outlook for China-South Korea Economic, Trade and Investment Relations". Yoo Il-ho, former Vice Prime Minister of South Korea, Bi Jingquan, Executive Vice Chairman of CCIEE, Zhang Xiaoqiang, Executive Vice Chairman of CCIEE, and more than 30 representatives of Chinese and South Korean business leaders and former senior government officials attended the meeting.

The Chinese delegates said that the current international landscape is undergoing profound changes, with uncertainties and disturbances increasing and various global challenges intertwined; geopolitical tensions have risen repeatedly, with the situation in the Peninsula and other regions more volatile; the world economy is under downward pressure, with the risk of recession rising; the global industrial chain and supply chain have been impacted, with inflation high and the supply chain disrupted; the food crisis, energy security, debt risk and other challenges are complex and serious.

The Chinese delegates said that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea. Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol exchanged congratulatory letters, held a formal meeting during the G20 Summit in November and reached a consensus on promoting the all-round development of China-South Korea relations abreast with the times. The two leaders met again at the East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh in mid-November. China and South Korea are close neighbors and important partners. The two sides should take the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to earnestly implement the important consensus of the two leaders, enhance political mutual trust, promote the coordination of development strategies, accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, deepen pragmatic cooperation in economic and trade fields, and promote the healthy and stable development of the strategic partnership between China and South Korea. South Korean enterprises are welcome to get actively involved in China's reform, opening up and modernization, expand investment and cooperation in the fields of electronic information, car manufacturing, digital economy and green development to achieve a higher level of complementary advantages and mutual benefits. The two sides should accelerate the second phase of the FTA negotiations, capitalize on the opportunities brought about by the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, jointly explore third-party markets, ensure the safe and stable supply chain and industrial chain of the globe, and inject new momentum into the region's economic prosperity and development. The two sides should take advantage of the multi-track dialogue channels involving the governments and the peoples, strengthen people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, and create a brighter future for the bilateral relations.

Delegates of the South Korean side said that South Korea and China are permanent neighbors that cannot be moved away from each other. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have made leaps and bounds in cooperation in many fields, including economy and trade, bilateral investment, industrial cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, bringing tangible benefits to the peoples of both sides and setting a model for the development of relations between the two countries. In the future, South Korea and China should adhere to the principles of treating each other with sincerity, trust, mutual understanding and tolerance, continue to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the post-pandemic era, leverage their respective advantages, explore new areas of cooperation, promote employment and economic revitalization in both countries, and jointly maintain the security and stability of the supply chain and industrial chain of both countries and the whole globe.

To conclude the dialogue, CCIEE and KCCI issued a joint statement. The two sides called for the implementation of the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries to continuously strengthen China-South Korea economic and trade cooperation, explore new areas of cooperation, and promote the development of bilateral relations in a more mature and healthy direction. The two sides agreed to make use of their complementary advantages, further promote in-depth cooperation in local industrial parks in China and South Korea, promote supply chain and industrial chain cooperation under the China-South Korea Free Trade Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in industrial development and high-tech intelligent applications, jointly promote substantive cooperation in low-carbon transition, clean energy, energy conservation and environmental protection, and pandemic prevention and control, as well as carry out policy exchanges on carbon peaking and carbon neutrality to create a safer and happier living environment for the peoples of both countries.