Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki has met with China’s top diplomatic envoy to discuss economic cooperation between the two countries. 

In a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Qiu Guohong at the government complex in Seoul on Friday, Hong sought more active cooperation from Beijing on forming partnerships between their companies to advance into third countries and supporting their start-ups. 

The minister, who also serves as deputy prime minister, relayed Seoul’s views on challenges South Korean companies are facing under the Chinese government’s industrial policies, including electric vehicle battery subsidies and antitrust probes into semiconductor manufacturers. 

Qiu said he will communicates Seoul's stance to Beijing. 

Hong will visit China next week to attend the Belt and Road forum in Beijing and explore potential synergies between Seoul’s New Northern and Southern policies and the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature project. 

An annual economic ministers’ meeting between the two countries is also scheduled to be held in South Korea this year.