Yuan Jiajun (left), governor of East China's Zhejiang province, meets with his counterpart of South Korea's South Jeolla province Kim Yung-rok on Aug 24. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

A Zhejiang delegation led by Yuan Jiajun, governor of the East China province, embarked on a tour in South Korea on Aug 23, with the aim of establishing closer ties between the two sides.

Yuan met with Cho Hyun, South Korea's 2nd vice minister of foreign affairs on Aug 24 and shared his insights on the history and future prospects of the relations between Zhejiang and South Korea. He said Zhejiang should take note of the country's experience in upgrading industries and innovative capabilities.

The governor also expressed his hopes that after the visit, that the bilateral ties could be further strengthened with the establishment of a group of cooperative platforms in the fields of scientific technologies, trade and culture.

Cho highlighted the great achievements Zhejiang has made in recent years and extended his hope that the two sides could together take ties to new heights.

The year of 2018 marked the 20th anniversary of friendly ties between Zhejiang and South Jeolla province, a province in the southwest of South Korea. Yuan and the governor of South Jeolla, Kim Yung-rok, had a meeting on the afternoon of Aug 24.

Yuan said that the two provinces are expected to deepen their cooperation in cutting-edge technologies, clean energy, environmental protection, culture, tourism, sports and marine fisheries. He suggested building a work group to carry forward projects and make the bilateral collaboration more practical.

His counterpart hoped the two regions join hands in exploring more fields to develop extensive cooperation.

The two governors signed a declaration on the further implementation of friendly exchanges and viewed a photo exhibition and some local artistic performances. Additionally, they jointly planted an osmanthus tree, which symbolizes long-living friendship.