Business leaders from China and ROK said they were optimistic about deeper cooperation in high-tech sectors, as they gathered at this year's China-ROK business forum in Beijing on Monday.
This year's forum brought together approximately 400 representatives from the two countries' governments and business communities, including major ROK conglomerates, all hopeful that ROK President Lee Jae Myung's visit to China would signal new opportunities for bilateral economic engagement.
The forum was co-hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), underscoring the importance both sides place on maintaining robust economic ties.
China has been ROK's largest trading partner for 21 consecutive years, while ROK remains China's second-largest. The two economies are deeply interlinked, particularly in advanced manufacturing and technology.
"Battery technology is very advanced, and SDV software, businesses and great engineers are here in China. So, maybe we can cooperate more, and maybe we can give better technology to the customer," said Chung Eui-sun, executive chair of Hyundai Motor Group.
Attendees at the forum suggested there is growing scope for mutually beneficial collaboration.
"As economic globalization faces increasing challenges, businesses from both countries should look for more win-win solutions through cooperation in industrial chains and technologies," said Li Dongsheng, chairman of TCL Technology Group.
The forum coincided with Lee's state visit to China from January 4 to 7, his first since taking office in June 2025, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
During the forum, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, emphasized that China and ROK should strengthen economic ties and forge new prospects for win-win cooperation.
Lee said that cooperation between ROK and China has deepened across various fields in recent years. He reaffirmed ROK's willingness to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with China and bring more benefits to the peoples of both countries.
China, ROK businesses eye closer high-tech cooperation
China's two major power grid operators -- the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and China Southern Power Grid (CSG) -- reported a surge in investment in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction and support high-quality socioeconomic development in China.
The State Grid said it completed fixed-asset investment worth 129 billion yuan (about 18.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, up 37 percent the corresponding period of the previous year. The spending has driven more than 250 billion yuan (36 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across the wider industrial chain.
Key projects such as the Panxi ultra-high-voltage (UHV) alternating current (AC) line and the Anhui-Hubei back-to-back direct current (DC) project have seen ground broken for their construction, while several west-to-east power transmission projects have been upgraded.
Investment in connecting renewable energy generation to the grid was reported to have exceeded 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) from January to March, a year-on-year rise of more than 50 percent.
The CSG also reported robust growth in investment in the three-month period, with fixed-asset investment reaching 38.45 billion yuan (5.58 billion U.S. dollars), up about 50 percent from a year earlier.
Among its achievements, the company completed and commissioned 80 key projects, including the 220 kV cross-sea power grid interconnection project, which was officially put into operation on March 20. The project ended years of grid isolation on the Weizhou Island in south China by linking it to the main power system of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The construction of 17 other major energy projects, including one linking the power grid of the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China with that of Guangdong Province in south China, is advancing rapidly. These projects are expected to bolster regional industries, the maritime economy, digital collaboration and the transition to green energy.
"By accelerating major project construction, investment during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is expected to approach 1 trillion yuan (145 billion U.S. dollars), driving a further 2 trillion yuan (290 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across upstream and downstream industries," said Dong Yanle, deputy general manager of the Engineering Construction Department under the China Southern Power Grid.
China ramps up power grid investment in January-March to boost growth
