By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

Hwaseong Special City Mayor Chung Myung-geun, along with Hwaseong Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Ahn Sang-gyo, visited the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on Feb. 10 and met with Chinese Ambassador to Korea Dai Bing to discuss economic cooperation.

At the meeting, they had an in-depth conversation about China's electric vehicle technology advancement, including the AI DeepSeek, which has recently attracted global attention, and the possibility of Chinese companies investing in Hwaseong City.

They also requested the interest and active participation of Chinese companies in the AI Expo, which will be held in Hwaseong Special City for the first time in June, and decided to expand the field of technological cooperation between China and Korea.

In particular, Ambassador Dai Bing suggested, "Let's meet again soon and have a deeper conversation over traditional Chinese wine," to which Mayor Jung Myung-geun responded happily and promised continued exchange and cooperation.

"As geographical neighbors, Korea and China have had close exchanges for thousands of years, and China is still a very important partner as our largest trading partner," said Mayor Chung, adding, "Our city is especially close to China through the sea, which makes our exchanges even more active."

"With the current political situation at home and abroad, exchange and cooperation at the local government level is even more important," he said. "Hwaseong is already actively engaged in exchanges with four Chinese cities, and together with the Chinese Embassy, we will support various China-Hwaseong exchanges and cooperation."

"We hope that 2025, the Year of the Blue Snake, will be a meaningful year for China-Hwaseong relations to take a new leap forward, just as snakes shed their skin," he added.

Meanwhile, Hwaseong Special City established the 'AI Strategy Division' in April 2024, the first basic local government in the country, and officially announced the 'AI Special City' in November of the same year.

It has also introduced the AI civil search service 'Hwaseongin' since 2025 to provide administrative services to citizens.