Big things are expected from the 2019 China-Japan-ROK Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum, which was held in the coastal city of Yantai in eastern China's Shandong province on June 25, officials said.

Representatives of government agencies, business associations, and top youth entrepreneurs from Japan as well as South Korea gathered in the forum to exchange startup experiences.

Chen Fei, mayor of Yantai, made a keynote speech and said that young entrepreneurs' innovations and career development should be given full support.

"We must pay more attention to young entrepreneurs and strive to establish platforms for their innovation achievements and career development, and help them to make progress in the new era," he said.

Representatives from Japan, South Korean and China also released keynote speeches and jointly read the Yantai agreement on youth innovation and entrepreneurship.

During the forum, eight cooperative agreements were signed including the Cooperation Framework Agreement on Employment and Entrepreneurship of South Korean Youth in Yantai.

Businessmen from Fortune 500 companies including LG Group, South Korean Hyundai automobile Co and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation also launched an exchange meeting to seek cooperation.

Officials said that  Yantai regards commerce with Japan and South Korea as an important driver for its economic development.

To date, South Korea has become the largest trading partner and source of foreign investment for Yantai, while Japan is the third largest source of foreign investment.

Chen Fei, mayor of Yantai, makes a keynote speech at the 2019 China-Japan-ROK Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum in June 25 in Yantai, East China's Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A batch of cooperative agreements is signed at the forum to deepen commercial partnerships between Yantai, Japan and South Korea. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]