On October 16, 2025, President Yang Wanming of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) met in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, with Ha Byung-pil, Vice Mayor of Incheon Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea, who was in China to attend the 26th China-Japan-ROK Friendship Cities Exchange Conference.
President Yang extended a warm welcome to Vice Mayor Ha Byung-pil and his delegation for attending the conference. He noted that since the inauguration of the new ROK government, President Xi Jinping and President Lee Jae-myung have held a telephone conversation and reached important consensus on advancing bilateral relations, charting the course for exchanges and cooperation across various fields. President Yang emphasized that the foundation of state-to-state relations lies among the people, and their vitality comes from subnational engagement. Subnational exchanges are an integral part of China-ROK relations. He expressed the hope that Incheon, as a model city for such exchanges, would continue to play an exemplary role, expand areas of cooperation, explore innovative channels of interaction, and make new and greater contributions to promoting friendly exchanges between the two countries in various fields.
Vice Mayor Ha Byung-pil congratulated the successful convening of the conference and commended the CPAFFC for its long-standing contributions to strengthening friendship between the peoples of the two countries. He noted that, owing to its unique geographical position, Incheon has always attached great importance to exchanges with China and regards China as an important partner. Incheon will continue to deepen practical cooperation with subnational governments across China and further elevate the friendly relations between the ROK and China.
Zhu Dan, Director-General of the Department of East Asian Affairs of the CPAFFC, was present at the meeting.
