The Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI) hosted a field forum on “Efficient Utilization Measures of the Korea-China FTA” in Qingdao, China on January 19. This forum was the first of the events to be held in China’s major cities including Weihai, Shanghai, and Chengdu, and about 100 people such as those related to the debate and local enterprisers attended it.  
 
KREI President Choi Sei-kyun stressed the two countries’ partnership in an era of the Korea-China FTA, saying in his opening address, “The two nations’ cooperation based on reciprocity will decrease damage and increase profit, resulting in mutual growth.” In the event, congratulatory speeches were delivered by Chairperson Ahn Se-young of the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences; Director Zhang Xiaowan of the Agricultural Trade Promotion Center of China’s Ministry of Agriculture; and Consul General Hwang Seung-hyun of the Korean Consulate General in Qingdao.

KREI senior research fellow Chung Chung-gil said in his presentation, “The Korea-China FTA brings threats and opportunities to Korean agriculture at the same time,” and emphasized that export opportunities should be utilized by discovering star export items in Korea’s food, agriculture, and fishery sectors whose demand in the Chinese market would be high. He announced that 17 products had been finally selected as star agri-fishery exports in an era of the Korea-China FTA: raw milk, vegetable seeds, mushrooms, ginseng products, red chili paste, soybean paste, modified milk powder, instant food, laver, oysters, vegetable and seaweed chips, succulent plants, young ginseng, beef, strawberries, kimchi and tomatoes.

Presentations on “The Korea-China FTA and Measures to Expand the Two Countries’ Industrial Cooperation” and “Outlook for Korean Agrifood Exports to China in an era of the Korea-China FTA” were made by Director Cho Chuel of the Leading Industry Research Division of the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade and professor Han Ijin of China Agricultural University, respectively.