On August 21, 2018, during the Northeast Asia Regional Cooperation Roundtable held in Jilin Province, China, Secretary-General LIM Byung-jin engaged in a one-on-one meeting with Vice Governor YANG Andi. The two officials discussed strategies to enhance bilateral exchange and cooperation.

Mr. Lim acknowledged Jilin Province's significant role in fostering multilateral exchange and mutual prosperity among local governments in Northeast Asia. Notably, Jilin Province co-hosted the Northeast Asia Regional Cooperation Roundtable with NEAR since 2019. Mr. Lim expressed a desire for closer collaboration between NEAR and Jilin Province in the future, including the participation of high-level officials in the upcoming General Assembly scheduled for October.

Ms. Yang expressed her deep appreciation for NEAR's role and accomplishments in facilitating exchange and cooperation among local governments in Northeast Asia. She also affirmed her commitment to reinforcing collaboration with NEAR, which includes plans to convene the 2nd NEAR Subcommittee meeting on International Exchange of Human Resources in 2024.

Furthermore, Jilin Province has dedicated efforts to enhance its industrial structure and business environment throughout the three-year span of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Yang requested support from the NEAR Secretariat to invigorate exchange and cooperation with local governments in the Northeast Asian region. This collaboration would encompass areas such as industry development and the exchange of human resources.

The meeting was attended by five representatives from Jilin Province, including XU Caishan,  deputy secretary of Jilin Province, LI Deming, director of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Administration, CHEN Honggang, secretary of the Culture and Tourism Administration,  ZHEN Gang, director of the Foreign Affairs Office, and WANG Liqun, deputy-director of the Commerce Administration, and three representatives from NEAR, including CHO Sunhwa, acting deputy-director of the International Cooperation Department.