-Approximately 90 government officials from 38 member regions from 6 countries attended, the largest number in NEAR history.
-Joining of new member regions—Qinghai Province of China as the 82nd regular member, Chuy Region of Kyrgyzstan as the 2nd associate member, and Pohang City of South Korea as the 1st special member.
- “The NEAR Governor’s Meeting” is planned to be held at the next year’s NEAR General Assembly
The 14th NEAR High-Level Working Committee has taken place in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, China, which was joined by nearly 90 participants including director-level government officials of 38 local governments from six countries—China, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan—from September 24 to 26, 2024. This has made the event the largest High-Level Working Committee in NEAR history, excluding the online event held in 2022.
On September 25, the opening ceremony began with the welcome remarks by Zhang Li Lin, vice-governor of Liaoning Province. This was followed by the opening remarks by NEAR Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin, and congratulatory remarks by Xing Haiming, ambassador for Asian Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Chimed Chuluun, governor of Uvs Province of Mongolia, Dzhumagaziev Kanat, governor of Chuy Region of Kyrgyzstan, Kochetova Ekaterina, deputy prime minister of the Republic of Buryatia of Russia, and Jang Sanggil, vice-mayor of Pohang City of South Korea.
Vice-Governor Zhang stated in his remarks that “Among the various international organizations in the world, NEAR is known as a highly practical exchange platform that connects numerous neighbors in Northeast Asia.” He added, “For the past 28 years, NEAR has committed itself to reinforcing practical and effective cooperation in a wide range of areas, such as economic trade, cultural tourism, and environmental protection with the principles of openness, embracement, mutual interest and respect, and equality.” Then he made four proposals: ①More engagement in NEAR activities to make it play bigger roles, ②Promotion of economic cooperation among NEAR member governments, ③Ensuring ease of mobility in Northeast Asia, and ④Reinforcing human exchange and cooperation.
Secretary-General Lim said in his opening remarks that “This year’s High-Level Working Committee has marked a milestone by expanding the scope of NEAR as the largest multilateral exchange platform for regional governments in Northeast Asia. It now includes a total of 90 metropolitan local governments from 8 countries—82 regular members (China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Mongolia, and Russia), two associate members (Vietnam, and Kyrgyzstan), one special member (Pohang City), and five Observers. Our association will continue its efforts to stay as a trusted multilateral platform and seek diverse opportunities for bilateral exchanges and cooperation.
Ambassador Xing stated in his speech that “Northeast Asia is a region that holds great significance when it comes to the global economy. The mutual cooperation is needed in this area. The local exchanges and cooperation is the key part of international cooperation.” He also affirmed the ministry’s commitment to support activities of NEAR and ensure the success of the NEAR General Assembly, which will take place in Liaoning Province next year.
The first session of the event started with the activity report by the NEAR Secretariat. Then, reports on NEAR Subcommittees—the Subcommittee on Energy Cooperation by Inner Mongolia; the Subcommittee on Educational and Cultural Exchange by Shimane Prefecture; and the Subcommittee on Environment by Toyama Prefecture—followed. Additionally, to-be-created Subcommittees were introduced, including the Subcommittee on Tourism (Ningxia Hui Autonomous), the Subcommittee on Ocean and Fishery (Shandong Province), the Subcommittee on Traditional Medicine (Shaanxi Province), and the Subcommittee on Youth Policies (Krasnoyarsk Territory). The session also included presentations by NEAR member regions, including Daegu City, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, Bulgan Province, and the Republic of Buryatia.
During the second session, votes were conducted on membership agendas: the establishment of the NEAR Special Membership; joining of new regular member (Qinghai Province); joining of new associate member (Chuy Region), and joining of the first special member (Pohang City).
Moreover, discussions were held on the ways to revitalize the 19 NEAR Subcommittees in order to promote practical exchange and cooperation among regional governments in Northeast Asia, and the hosting plan for the 「NEAR Governor’s Conference (tentative)」that invites vice-head level officials and above from the member governments.
The event successfully came to an end, with the report on the results of the 14th NEAR High-Level Working Committee by the director level officer (Grade II) of the Liaoning Foreign Affairs Office.