South Korea and China agreed to broaden cooperation across climate change, industry and technology after their leaders oversaw the signing of a series of agreements on Monday, the South Korean government has said.
Air pollution and climate change remain politically sensitive issues in East Asia, where transboundary fine dust, extreme weather and rising emissions have driven calls for closer regional coordination, particularly between China, the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, and South Korea.
South Korea’s Climate, Energy and Environment Ministry said it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment on environmental and climate cooperation on the sidelines of a summit between the two countries’ leaders.
The new MOU updates a 2014 environmental cooperation agreement for the first time in 12 years, expanding collaboration beyond air quality issues such as fine dust and yellow sand to include climate change response, circular economy policies, biodiversity conservation and carbon markets.
The two sides agreed to hold annual environment ministers’ meetings and alternate year-on-year policy dialogues at the director-general level to review policy trends and develop joint initiatives under the agreement. They will use the existing Korea–China Environmental Cooperation Center as the main implementing body and draw up regular action plans setting priority areas, medium-term goals and specific projects.
South Korea said the agreement also covers joint research on pollutants that affect both air quality and climate change, as well as cooperation on climate impact assessments and responses to noise and light pollution.
Seoul’s climate minister Kim Sung-hwan said the Korea–China environment ministers’ meeting had “further solidified the foundation for bilateral climate and environmental cooperation toward a global decarbonised green civilisation.”
He added that South Korea would “continue to faithfully advance Korea–China cooperation on environment and climate so as to deliver tangible results that the public can feel.”
Separately, South Korea’s Industry Ministry said it signed an MOU with China’s Ministry of Commerce to strengthen cooperation between industrial complexes, with a focus on boosting investment and supply chain stability.
Under the deal, the two countries will promote cooperation between South Korea’s Saemangeum area and Chinese industrial hubs in Jiangsu, Shandong and Guangdong provinces, supporting collaboration in components and materials, green energy, and bio and pharmaceutical sectors. China is expected to send an investment delegation to Saemangeum in 2026, the ministry said.
In science and technology, South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT signed an agreement with China’s Ministry of Science and Technology to enhance cooperation on global challenges such as climate change and sustainable development. Another agreement with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology aims to expand collaboration on digital technologies, including digital inclusion, with a bilateral ICT strategy dialogue scheduled to be held in Beijing in 2026.
The agreements were signed as part of a broader push to deepen bilateral ties, with nine additional MOUs concluded between companies from both countries in consumer goods, content and supply chain sectors, the South Korean government said.
South Korea and China have cooperated on environmental issues since the early 1990s, including a 1993 environmental cooperation agreement and subsequent initiatives such as the “Blue Sky” plan aimed at reducing cross-border air pollution. However, progress has often been uneven, with disputes over responsibility for fine dust pollution and limited transparency in data sharing.
