THE fourth conference of the Organization for East Asia Economic Development (OEAED) was held Nov. 25 in Qingdao, to promote prosperity in the Yellow Sea Rim and improve business climate in the East Asia.

    The conference was attended by representatives from the OEAED’s 10 member cities in China, Japan and South Korea, all located in the Yellow Sea Rim.

    Qingdao Mayor Xia Geng said advanced cooperation among the cities was important for promoting the integration of East Asia as it adapts to globalization.

    He said since 2004, the OEAED member cities have been dedicated to exploring economic cooperation channels and promoting commodity trade, industry transfer, technological cooperation and capital flow, as well as social and cultural exchanges.

    In a keynote speech at the conference, Xia put forward four suggestions to improve the business environment in East Asia: to improve trade investment facilitation; to improve the protection and exploration of resources in the Yellow Sea; to enhance cooperation in energy saving and tourism; and to advance human communication.

    Government officials from Japan and South Korea echoed Xia’s comments, saying there was a “bright future” for economic and trade cooperation among the three countries and pledging “advanced communication” to promote business in the region.

    In the following sessions, mayors and officials from Qingdao, Tianjin, Dalian, Yantai, Shimonoseki, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Incheon, Ulsan and Pusan had discussions on trade, investment, tourism and logistics cooperation.

    The conference signed the Yellow Sea Rim Action memorandum of understanding and the Qingdao Declaration. The two documents aim to streamline cooperation between the member cities.

    Japan’s Kitakyushu City will hold the third City Cooperation Forum in 2011 and Fukuoka will hold the fifth OEAED conference in 2012.

    Founded in 2004, the OEAED works to improve economic development in East Asia and promote manufacturing, tourism, environmental protection, logistics and other industry sectors. The OEAED meets every two years and is hosted in turn by the 10 member cities. This is the first year Qingdao has hosted the event.(Li Hao, Zhou Jianliang)