Seoul, Oct 12 (IANS) The head of a major South Korean business organisation visited China to rev up support for the successful hosting of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit later this month, the organisation said on Sunday.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, who is also serving as the head of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), has visited China to bolster support for the successful hosting of the upcoming APEC CEO Summit in South Korea, the KCCI said, reports Yonhap news agency.

Chey embarked on a three-day trip to Beijing and Shanghai beginning Friday, roughly two weeks ahead of the APEC CEO Summit, an official side event of the multilateral forum of APEC leaders, to be held from Oct. 28 to 31 in Gyeongju, located about 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

Chey first met with key Chinese officials, including Vice Premier He Lifeng and Ren Hongbin, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, in Beijing on Friday.

The discussions focused on the current state of bilateral economic cooperation and ways to enhance private-sector exchanges between companies of the two nations.

During his stay in Shanghai over the weekend, Chey also met with Shanghai Mayor Chen Jining and participated in the International Business Leaders Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai, a forum that brings together global business leaders to advise on the city’s economic development.

Meanwhile, SK Group, a South Korean chip-to-defence conglomerate, said on Sunday it will present its vision for artificial intelligence (AI) development on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, as part of efforts to expand the global AI ecosystem.

SK will host the Future Tech Forum AI at Gyeongju Expo Grand Park in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, bringing together government officials and top executives from global tech leaders, including U.S. AI chipmaker Nvidia and OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, the group said in a press release. The forum, set for Oct 28-31, is an official side event of the APEC CEO Summit, which runs alongside the APEC summit.

The APEC summit will take place in Gyeongju from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, with U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to attend.

—IANS

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