Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung Receives Ma Xingrui, Governor of Guangdong Province

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung met with Ma Xingrui, Governor of Guangdong Province, and requested cooperation on the excavation and preservation of historical sites related to the Provisional Government located in Guangdong Province.

On the morning of the 5th, Governor Lee received Ma Xingrui at the Provincial Government Situation Room, stating, "Guangdong Province has a historically beautiful record of independence activists, including Kim Won-bong, receiving training with the help of the Chinese government. There is a history of the Provisional Government moving to Guangdong Province at one point, and historical remains are said to exist. I would like Guangdong Province to join us in excavating, preserving, and documenting these sites."

Governor Lee went on to propose, "Gyeonggi Province is preparing a program for our students to experience anti-Japanese resistance historical sites in China, and I hope we can pursue this project together."

Governor Lee added, "Europe, which was marred by war, grew into a peace community through an economic community, and now has developed into an excellent community combining peace, economy, and security. Gyeonggi Province is considering the formation of a Northeast Asia peace-economy community involving China, Japan, Mongolia, Russia, and North Korea as a long-term project. I hope Gyeonggi Province and Guangdong Province can cooperate closely in this process."

Governor Ma Xingrui responded positively to Governor Lee's proposals and expressed admiration for Gyeonggi Province's development.

Governor Ma stated, "The purpose of my visit to Gyeonggi Province this time is to strengthen the sister city relationship between Guangdong Province and Gyeonggi Province, and to promote economic trade and scientific-technological human exchanges. I was particularly impressed by Pangyo Techno Valley. I felt that the government is making considerable efforts in startup and innovative technology development."

Governor Ma also said, "We announced the Greater Bay Area development plan in February, involving Guangdong Province, Hong Kong, and Macao together. There are many similar elements between Governor Lee's Northeast Asia peace-economy community and the Greater Bay Area development plan. I sincerely invite you to visit Guangdong Province and explore the major cities in the Greater Bay Area region."

The Greater Bay Area is an economic zone covering 56,000 square kilometers, Asia's largest, integrating major cities within Guangdong Province such as Shenzhen and Guangzhou, as well as Hong Kong and Macao. Guangdong Province has stated its intention to make this region an innovation hub that surpasses America's Silicon Valley.

Since establishing friendly cooperation with Guangdong Province in 1996, Gyeonggi Province has maintained exchanges and cooperation over the past 23 years across diverse fields including economy, commerce, youth, university exchange, environment, and healthcare, including establishing a sister city relationship in 2003.

Meanwhile, today's meeting was made possible by Ma Xingrui's visit to Gyeonggi Province to further strengthen the sister city relationship between Gyeonggi Province and Guangdong Province. Following this meeting between the two leaders, a Guangdong ethnic performance group is scheduled to visit Gyeonggi Province in June to hold a Gyeonggi-Guangdong friendship performance.