▲ Guizhou Day event at the Chungnam Provincial Government Office

The Provincial Offices of Chungcheongnam-do and China’s Guizhou agreed to strengthen bilateral exchanges and cooperation for co-prosperity. Guizhou Province enjoys the second highest GDP growth rate among the provinces in China, and it is famous for Maotai, one of the best-known liquor brands in China. The two provinces have dispatched a total of 30 officials to each other for friendly exchanges on 6 occasions since 2014 when they signed the agreement on friendly exchanges.   

At the Guizhou Day event held at the Literary Art Hall of the Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Government Office on April 22, Governor An Heejung and Party Secretary Chen Miner of Guizhou Province adopted a joint statement for strengthening friendly exchanges between the two provinces.  

The joint statement cites the need for efforts for co-prosperity through substantial cooperation on the occasion of their selection as leading theme cities concerning humanities-related exchanges between the two countries this year.

The two provinces also agreed to engage in the joint development of tourism products, periodic fam tour, and participation in each other’s tourism-promoting explanatory sessions. They will also provide support for their relevant departments’ establishment of a joint platform for exchanges between big data-related industries.  

In addition, the two governors agreed on mutual exchanges in economy and trade. The Guizhou Provincial Government will provide an exhibition space for the local specialties of Chungcheongnam-do in one of its bonded areas, and the Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Government will do the same at platforms for international exchanges including the 2017 World Ginseng Expo held in Geumsan. 

Under the agreement, their construction divisions will push through with mutual exchanges and cooperation for the development of exemplary small cities and urban planning, whereas their sports-related divisions will strive for exchanges in sports like periodic sports matches by forming a council. They will also engage in exchanges of people specializing in agricultural skills. 

The Guizhou Day event was attended by 800-plus people including local residents and students of Naepo, Chinese students studying in Korea, local government officials of the two provinces, and a group of Chinese artists.

From Guizhou alone, the number of participants was 73 including Party Secretary Chen Miner and senior officials from the province as well as the artist. 

“We will strive for peace and prosperity through free exchanges among Asians including Chinese. Today is particularly significant since we have taken the first step for cooperation for the mutual development of the two provinces and for the development of friendly relations between the two countries,” Governor An said in his speech commemorating the special day. 

For his part, Party Secretary Chen Miner expressed deep appreciation for the warmhearted welcome of the people of Chungcheongnam-do. “I was deeply impressed with the enthusiasm shown by the citizens of Chungcheongnam-do. Despite the great geographical distance between Guizhou and Chungcheongnam-do, the distance between these two provinces in terms of mutual cooperation and friendship is short.” He also stressed the importance of mutual exchanges and cooperation between the two provinces. “Both Chinese and Koreans use chopsticks. You need a pair to make chopsticks work. Just one stick will not suffice,” he added. 

Chungcheongnam-do and Guizhou will work together for the promotion of seven projects designed to broaden mutual understanding and expand spheres of consensus using the Guizhou Day event as momentum, in connection with their selection as leading theme cities concerning humanities-related exchanges between the two countries this year. The seven projects include events related to Guizhou Day and Chungcheongnam-do Day , exchanges in health/environment, tourism, sports, and culture sectors, photography exhibitions, and construction of exemplary small cities . 

Guizhou is a province in the southwestern part of China. Its land size, 170,000km2, is one and a half times that of South Korea, and it has a population of 38 million (2014). In 2015, it ranked second among Chinese provinces in terms of GDP growth. It has emerged as a core province in China's Western Development Strategy . The province is also known as the place where Maotai, one of the best-known liquor brands in China, is produced.