King returns home after China, South Korea tour

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah returned home on Saturday after a working visit to South Korea and China, during which he held talks with the leaders of the two countries, addressing political and economic issues. 

Besides focusing on ways to boost bilateral cooperation, the talks addressed regional developments, according to a Royal Court statement.

On Friday, King Abdullah and South Korea's President Park Geun-hye discussed ways to strengthen Jordanian-Korean cooperation in all fields.  They also reviewed regional and international developments. 

At a summit meeting held at the presidential palace in Seoul, the two leaders underscored the strong relations between the two countries, stressing the need to build on them, especially since the two countries are bound by several cooperation agreements.  

Discussions addressed ways to increase cooperation, especially in building infrastructure projects that the country is carrying out in several key sectors, including energy, water and transport, according to the statement. 

Korea’s president commended the Kingdom’s recently launched economic blueprint “Jordan 2025”, pointing out that her country is interested in the projects mentioned in the plan, especially in the areas of health and education.

The talks also dealt with regional and global developments, including the developments in Syria and global efforts to combat terrorism and radical ideologies.

At the end of the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the governments of the two countries on cooperation in the fields of electric and renewable energy. The MoU was signed by Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury and Korean Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy Yoon Sang-jick.

The two leaders also attended the signing of an agreement reciprocally exempting holders of diplomatic passports of the visa requirement. 

Also in Seoul on Friday, King Abdullah met separately with Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics Lee Jae-yong, Chief Executive Officer of Daewoo International Corporation Young-Sang Kim and several representatives of Korean economic institutions. 

Discussions addressed ways to increase Korean investments in Jordan, drawing attention to incentives and the investment environment in Jordan.

While meeting with the Samsung vice chairman and other company officials, the Monarch urged the company to expand its investment in the Kingdom, highlighting the good reputation it has acquired in different parts of the world. 

Samsung officials said the company was looking forward to upgrading its research division in Jordan and to expanding its manufacturing base in the Kingdom. They also expressed interest in assisting Jordan to develop its vocational training programmes. 

Talks addressed the training that the University of Jordan-based Samsung Academy provides to university students in a manner that meets the needs of the labour market. 

Besides pledging to look into the possibility of expanding electronic equipment manufacturing in Jordan, the company’s officials expressed interest in the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project.

At the King’s meeting with the Daewoo International Corporation CEO, discussions addressed the possibility of building partnerships with public and private Jordanian industrial entities. 

King Abdullah highlighted Jordan’s openness and the investment opportunities available in the Kingdom, pointing out that the country is working to draw foreign investment to strengthen and bolster its development projects in various parts of the Kingdom.  

Also, at his meeting with representatives of South Korea’s economic institutions, in the presence of South Korea’s Ambassador to Jordan Choi Hong-ghi, the King noted that Jordan sees South Korea as a strategic partner in several projects, in light of its advanced and developed experience. 

He said Jordan admires the Korean success story, pointing out that Jordan can provide unique investment opportunities for Korean businessmen and investors in the IT, banking, mining and pharmaceutical sectors, in particular. 

 The Monarch also highlighted the free trade accords signed between Jordan and several world countries, pointing out that such deals have secured Jordan access to one billion consumers, while serving as a gateway to regional markets. 

In China, the first leg of his working visit, King Abdullah held talks with China’s President Xi Jinping on bilateral relations and regional and global developments.  The visit culminated with the signing of a joint statement between the two leaders, announcing the establishment of a strategic partnership between both countries.

During the visit, Jordan and China signed several memoranda of understanding and agreements valued at more than $7 billion in the fields of oil shale, renewable energy, electricity generating, railway and training. 

The agreements were signed on the sidelines of the 2015 China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, China, which was inaugurated on Thursday in the presence of His Majesty King Abdullah, who opened the Jordanian pavilion.