1. The 8th Korea-China Public Diplomacy Forum, co-hosted by the Korean and Chinese Ministries of Foreign Affairs and co-organized by the Korea Foundation and the China Public Diplomacy Association, took place in a hybrid online and offline format at 3:00 pm, December 8, Seoul time, bringing together experts from the governments as well as academic and media circles of the two countries.

° Among the participants were Ambassador for Public Diplomacy Chang Jae-bok and Director-General for Public Diplomacy and Cultural Affairs Seo Eunji of the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Qin Gang, President of the Korea Foundation Lee Geun, President of the China Public Diplomacy Association Wu Hailong, and Chinese Ambassador to Korea Qiu Guohong.

2. At this year’s Forum, under the theme of “enhancing comprehensive cooperation between Korea and China in the post-COVID-19 era,” the participants from Korea and China discussed expanding exchanges between provinces, stepping up economic development and industrial cooperation, and ways for online and offline cooperation to promote exchanges between media outlets and youths.

° The participants underscored the need to further facilitate public diplomacy with the aim to enhance mutual understanding between people of the two countries including young leaders, to expand online exchanges and cooperation, to increase exchanges between provincial governments, and to step up substantive cooperation in areas of shared interest such as economy, industries, healthcare and environment, by building on the two countries’ experience of cooperation on disease prevention and control amid the COVID-19 crisis.

3. In his opening remarks, Ambassador for Public Diplomacy Chang noted that private-public cooperation between Korea and China on COVID-19 prevention and control has contributed to consolidating the base of bilateral friendship and cooperation; and voiced hope that, ahead of the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of the Korea-China diplomatic relations, public diplomacy would contribute to substantively advancing the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

° Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Qin Gang stressed that, in order to seek new areas of cooperation between Korea and China in the post-COVID-19 era, it is necessary to establish an institutional framework for public diplomacy that various actors can join, to intensify working-level consultations in areas with great potential for cooperation such as economy, industries and high-technology, and to promote private exchanges.

° In her closing remarks, Director-General for Public Diplomacy and Cultural Affairs Seo conveyed hope that the depth of understanding and the breadth of empathy between people of the two countries would increase through sustainable two-way public diplomacy with a focus on exchanges of youth, the future leaders of the bilateral relations.

4. The Korea-China Public Diplomacy Forum, held on an annual basis since 2013, carries significance in that it was held in 2020 as planned despite the COVID-19 situation, solidifying its standing as a major consultative mechanism on public diplomacy between the two countries.

° The Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Korea and China will continue to contribute to promoting friendly and cooperative relations and substantially reinforcing the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries by boosting two-way public diplomacy participated by experts in private and public sectors, including provincial governments, academic and media circles, and businesses.