Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022 Presidents Lee Hee-beom and Cai Qi signed the MoU in the Great Hall of the People in the Chinese capital ©Pyeongchang 2018

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed today between Pyeongchang and Beijing, hosts of the next two Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The agreement was signed during a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in front of an audience that included the Presidents of China and South Korea, Xi Jinping and Moon Jae-in. 

Moon is making his first official visit to China and the trip is being heralded as an opportunity to improve relations between the two countries. 

Following Pyeongchang 2018, the Games in Beijing four years later will mark the first time that Asia will have hosted consecutive Winter Olympics. 

These two cities, plus Tokyo, host of the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, have already held talks on cooperating with one another to make all three events successful.

"We expect this MoU to accelerate the improvement of bilateral relations between South Korea and China," Pyeongchang 2018 President Lee Hee-beom said following the signing. 

"We also believe the agreement will have some positive impact on generating interest for the Pyeongchang Olympics, attracting Chinese tourists and boosting ticket sales."

The MoU between Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022 was signed to coincide with a meeting between Chinese and South Korean Presidents Xi Jinping, left, and Moon Jae-in, right ©Getty Images
The MoU between Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022 was signed to coincide with a meeting between Chinese and South Korean Presidents Xi Jinping, left, and Moon Jae-in, right ©Getty Images

Under their agreement, Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022 plan to swap human resources exchange and knowledge transfer and strengthen cooperation in sustainability and cultural exchange.

Beijing 2022 plan to send its officials to South Korea as observers during Pyeongchang 2018. 

After the Games are over, Pyeongchang 2018 have promised to transfer its knowledge of hosting the Winter Games during the debriefing session in Beijing in June 2018.

Before the signing ceremony, Lee and Beijing 2022 President Cai Qi held a meeting during which they exchanged views on the need for active mutual cooperation and agreed to support each other for the successful hosting of the competitions.

Much of what the two cities have agreed is largely symbolic and would probably have happened anyway under the International Olympic Committee Host City contract.

It is seen, though, as a sign of helping foster a closer partnership between two countries who have recently enjoyed a difficult relationship, partly because of China's support of North Kroea. 

China and South Korea only ended a one-year long diplomatic dispute at the end of October and have been working swiftly to get their relationship back on track since, strengthening exchanges and cooperation between each other.

Separately, Pyeongchang 2018 has also signed an agreement with the popular Chinese social media site Weibo to help promote its Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games across China.