Chungcheongnam-do

▲ Governor An, Hee-jung of Chungnam visited Kunming, the provincial capital of Yunnan province.

Chungnam province greatly expanded the scope of its exchange with Yunnan province, the Chinese gateway to South Asia.

On June 7, Governor An, Hee-jung of Chungnam visited Kunming, the provincial capital of Yunnan province. Governor An signed a cooperation agreement with Governor Li Jiheng.

According to the agreement, the two provinces will continue to pursue exchange and cooperation in agriculture, forestry, culture, education, tourism, environment, economy, women's and children's issues and so forth.

Furthermore, the agreement stipulated continued enhancement of cooperation, mutual understanding, and exchange between high-level officials and departments.

During his visit, Governor An stated that "a Korean news agency brought attention to Yunnan province, which had developed alongside major nations in Southeast Asia. In particular, I was impressed by an article titled 'Sun Wen Envisioned Connecting to Southeast Asia Through Railways 100 years ago.'"

He added that "it was an opportunity to ponder how the vision of the Chinese leader Sun Wen to connect Guangzhou and Southeast Asia by building a railway had changed a nation's future."

With this agreement, Chungnam province expects active exchange and official visits between high level officials, extension of exchange from Northeast China to the Southwest, and an establishment of a base for exchange in all sectors including agriculture, forestry, culture and education.

In addit ion, the Chungnam Development Institute (CDI) signed a cooperation agreement with the Yunnan Academy of Social Science, while the Chungnam Department of Economy and Commerce signed a memorandum of understanding for an economic cooperation agreement with the Yunnan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Chungnam Development Institute and Yunnan Academy of Social Science, will engage and research exchange in diverse areas including innovation in the three agricultural sectors as well as environmental issues in rural communities. In terms of the economy and commerce, the Chungnam Department of Economy and Commerce will cooperate with the Yunnan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in information and people-topeople exchange, investment, commerce, and support for business expansion.

Famous for the Tea-Road, Yunnan province has a geographical advantage in border trade with India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. In terms of size, Yunnan province is 4.4 times larger than Korea at 436,200 妥, with a population of 46.31 million. Although it was considered an underdeveloped province, the Chinese government actively supported the province as a gateway to South Asia.
As a result, the province recorded an admirable 13.7% growth last year.