An employee works at the production line of Samsung China Semiconductor in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Photo: Courtesy of Samsung

South Korean workers in the electronics industry are gradually flying back to China through a green channel to resume work, improving electronics supply chains affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

More than 200 South Korean workers involved in the electronics industry on Sunday departed from Seoul for North China's Tianjin Municipality to resume work as COVID-19 has gradually been contained in China and South Korea. 

"They are now under a quarantine period but the green channel will help them reduce much of their quarantine time after testing negative for COVID-19," an official at Tianjin's Binhai New Area confirmed with the Global Times on Monday.

This is the first batch of South Korean workers entering China under a fast entry policy, also known as a "green channel" between the two countries.

The returnees work at the Samsung Group's subsidiaries in Tianjin, mostly electronics and display device businesses. 

The green channel covers people from South Korea and China's 10 provincial-level regions. Those who fall under the policy can apply for visas and reduce their quarantine time after testing negative for COVID-19.

The policy came to effect on May 1 and helps workers who travel between the two countries to work in many sectors like business, logistics, production and technology to resume work as soon as possible.

The policy comes as China is consistently optimizing its business environment. It is cutting red tape, reducing taxes and slashing fees for enterprises, as well as helping foreign firms invest in the Chinese market, the Global Times learned.

Insiders said the green channel is conductive to economic and trade cooperation between China and South Korea.

"It is important for South Korean enterprises to maintain their business in China," an executive from Samsung Display Co said in an interview with Chinanews.com. 

An official from South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that while the coronavirus has brought difficulties for the global economy, the fast entry policy sends a positive signal for economic resumption, according to Chinanews.com.

China is South Korea's top trading partner. The two countries maintain close exchanges in many sectors, swapping tens of millions of visitors annually. The trade volume between the two countries hit $313.4 billion in 2018.

Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming said China is a driver of global economic growth, and that the sound fundamentals of the Chinese economy will not change; The impact of COVID-19 on the Chinese economy is temporary, reported Chinanews.com.

Xing called the green channel an innovative initiative, saying it provides a paradigm for the world to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Global Times