Seoul, Nov 21 (IANS): US Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai emphasized Washington's will to strengthen a "mutually beneficial" relationship with South Korea during a meeting with local entrepreneurs, a local business lobby said.

The Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) said that Tai met Korean business leaders in Seoul, as Seoul and Washington have sought to beef up cooperation on global supply chains, technologies and other issues amid an intensifying Sino-US rivalry, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The meeting on Saturday was co-hosted by the FKI, the US Embassy in Seoul and the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea.

During the session, Tai highlighted the Joe Biden administration's will for stronger cooperation with South Korea and its vision for an Indo-Pacific economic framework related to cooperation on supply chain resiliency, digital economy, clean energy and other areas.

FKI chairman Huh Chang-soo said that the South Korea and the US have demonstrated their "steely" alliance through cooperation over the last two years in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"At a time of great economic uncertainties caused by Covid-19, cooperation among the countries sharing values is more important," he was quoted as saying.

"The two countries should work together to foster a fair global business environment and create a synergic effect for world prosperity through cooperation in the cutting-edge industrial sector," he added.

It is the first time in 11 years that the sitting USTR has visited South Korea. She arrived in Seoul on Thursday for a four-day visit.