September 16-18, Mayor Li Wancai, who is now in South Korea for a visit, made trips to Incheon, Seoul, Daejeon, and Busan, where he met with Chung Mong-won , CEO of Halla Group, Cui Jong-Tai, president of Pohang Group, Zhao Xiu-In, director of the Semiconductor-Memory Department of Samsung Electronics and Shi Tai-Soo, president of Hanjin Group. Li told them that Dalian has entered a new period for development and will further open up and attract more South Korean enterprises to Dalian to invest or expand investment scale in order to promote the economic and social development leap forwar.
In December last year, Pohang Group signed an investment agreement with Dalian on steel processing, specializing in thick steel plates for ships and marine engineering equipment and special steel plates for production. Their plant and office building are now under construction, which will be completed within 2010 and will go into production in March, 2011. Li said that over the 5 years since the development and construction of Changxing Island, many influential enterprises in the field of global shipbuilding and marine engineering entered the island one after another, including the STX Group and Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. Ltd., showing good momentum in vigorous development. In April, 2010, Changxing Island Harbor Industrial Zone was upgraded to national level and was identified, in May, as a pilot area of comprehensive reform in Liaoning Province, all of which have offered rare historical chances for international enterprises. We expect that Pohang Group will seize the opportunity, establish long-term strategic cooperation with Dalian and achieve common development.
At the meeting with Chung Mong-won, Li said that Halla Group has been one of the most influential business groups in South Korea to have had cooperation with Dalian early in 1990s and made early contributions to Dalian s construction industry. Dalian now is making efforts to adjust its economic structure, to change development modes and to develop the automobile industry and modern service industry. W expect that Halla Group will have new cooperation with us in real estate, automobile parts, and ecologic science and technology, etc.
Samsung Electronics is the flagship of Samsung Group, with 9 affiliates: Samsung Electro-Mechanics, aviation, digital video, network, mobile display unit, etc. engaging in semiconductor, communications, computer products and consumer electronics products; nearly 20 of their products rank first in international market share. Li said that there is a geographic advantage and convenient transportation between Dalian and South Korea so that we have maintained close economic and trade exchanges and cooperation. In the process of the acceleration of macro-urbanization and the construction of Three Centers, One Cluster , Dalian will step up the development of the semiconductor industry. We look forward to pragmatic cooperation with Samsung Electronics to realize mutual benefit and a win-win situation.
Shi Tai-Soo told Li that they intend to invest in Dalian s international logistics and will soon sign an agreement with Dalian on that. Li assured him that the Dalian Municipal Government and relevant departments will give full support to the development of Hanjin Group in Dalian and expects that both sides will take this opportunity to broaden cooperation.
During the visit in South Korea, Li Wancai also met with Kang Duk-Soo, president of STX group, Lee Chong Hwi, CEO of Woori Bank, Kim Yong-Tai, chairman of Eastern Group, Won Shik-Ton, vice president of Halla Engineering & Construction Co., and Shin Dong-Zhu, president of PSM, and visited DaeDeok-valley.
Zhang Jun, vice mayor and director of the Puwan New Area Administrative Committee, Zhang Shikun, director of the Administrative Committee of Jinzhou New Area, Xu Changyuan, director of the Administrative Committee of Changxing Island Harbor Industrial Zone, Lu Lin, director of the Administrative Committee of Dalian Free Trade Zone , and Assistant Mayor Jiang Zhou attended the meetings and the visits.
From: Dalian Daily
