On the afternoon of September 16, 2025, Professor Chi Fulin, President of China Institute for Reform and Development (CIRD), was invited by the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province government to participate in the "33rd Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between China and the ROK: 2025 Jeju International Exchange Week for the Future Development of China and South Korea" and delivered a keynote speech themed "China-Korea Economic and Trade Cooperation at a Historical Juncture".Dai Bing, Chinese Ambassador to South Korea and Oh Young-hun, Governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province delivered welcome addresses, while Lee Sang-bong, Chairman of the Jeju Provincial Council and Sim Min-cheol, Vice Superintendent of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education delivered congratulatory remarks.  

Professor Chi addressed three key aspects in his keynote speech: “Falling Behind If Not Moving Forward”: Has it Become a Challenge Facing China-Japan-ROK Economic Cooperation?; "Free Trade: Has it Become a Major Option for China-Japan-Korea Economic Cooperation?"; and "China’s Big Market: Has it Become a Crucial Condition for Breakthroughs in China-Korea Free Trade?"  

Professor Chi emphasized that, under the severe impact of global geopolitical and geo-economic shocks, China-ROK economic and trade cooperation is at a historic juncture of "Falling Behind If Not Moving Forward". In this particular context, advancing China-ROK economic and trade cooperation and promoting the negotiation of China-Japan-ROK Free Trade Agreement under the RCEP framework —thereby shaping a new pattern of joint efforts by the three countries to respond to changes in the geopolitical and geo-economic landscape—has become a highly practical and urgent major issue.

Long Xiaoling, Vice President of CIRD; Gao Lijun, Assistant to the President of CIRD; Chen Suohua, Director of the Information and Publication Center, CIRD; Liang Hui, Secretary-General of CIRD-GRANDALL Center of FTP Law Studies; Hui Liang, Director of the Office and Lin Fen, Project Assistant at the International Cooperation and Exchange Center attended.