NEAR Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin attended the inaugural meeting of the NEAR Subcommittee on Innovation Plus, which was held from October 23 to 24 in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China. Mr. Lim joined the signboard ceremony of the subcommittee and delivered a congratulatory remarks.
The inaugural meeting, hosted by Hunan Province, was successfully held with the attendance of over 80 participants. This included representatives from the 22 NEAR member governments, as well as six non-member governments—Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China and Shiga and Tokushima prefectures in Japan. Additionally, eight partner institutions were present, including the Mongolian Embassy to China, the Japanese Embassy to China, and the Consulate-General of South Korea in Wuhan.
At the opening ceremony, there were welcome remarks from Vice Governor Li Jianzhong of Hunan Province, and congratulatory remarks from NEAR Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin, Governor Batsuuri of Govisumber Province, Deputy Prime Minister Borisov Kim of Sakha Republic, Director Choi Young-sook of the Economic and Trade Bureau of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, and Governor Taizo Mikazuki of Shiga Prefecture.
During the event, Mr. Lim engaged in separate meetings with Vice Governor Li, Party-Secretary Liu Gean of Zhangjiajie, and Deputy Prime Minister Borisov Kim, to discuss measures to expand cooperation among Northeast Asian local governments.
Vice Governor Li stated in his speech that “As the coordinator of the Subcommittee on Innovation Plus, Hunan Province will strive to strengthen cooperation among Northeast Asian local governments, share its experiences in innovation, and promote exchanges in economic and trade sectors. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of fostering human connections by promoting international exchanges in various fields, including youth exchange programs.
Mr. Lim said in his remarks that “Since joining NEAR in 2006, Hunan Province has made significant contribution to the development of NEAR by actively participating in various NEAR events and serving as the 12th NEAR Chair. The region has now successfully established the Subcommittee on Innovation Plus to promote multilateral exchange among local governments in Northeast Asia.” He added, “Our Secretariat will spare no efforts to support the subcommittee’s growth as NEAR’s representative event.”
<From left on top, Party-Secretary Zhong Jun of Hunan Academy of Social Sciences, Director Kim Yong-jae for External Relations at the Korea Tourism Organization, Minister Kirillin Gavril for External Relations and Peoples' Affairs of Sakha Republic, Head Kim Jong-mun of the Korea Innovation Center (KIC), Director Daira Ken of the Department of Nature Conservation at the Okinawa Environmental Ministry, and Professor Derzhu Batbold at the University of Physical Education and Tourism in Mongolia.>
At the 1st NEAR Subcommittee on Innovation Plus, themed “Sustainable Development of Tourism and Ecology,” the keynote speeches were delivered by Zhang Xianwei, Director of the Yunnan Development Research Center; Liu Liyun, Party-Secretary of the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences; and Huang Chengliang, Director of the think-tank of ecological civilization research at the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences. Following the keynote addresses, presentations were made by Kim Jong-mun, Head of the Korea Innovation Center (KIC); Kirillin Gavril, Minister for External Relations and Peoples’ Affairs of the Republic of Sakha; and Jian Xiaowen, Party-Secretary of the Inner Mongolia Academy of Social Sciences, who shared their experiences in mutually sustainable development.
During the event “The 6th Eurasia Urban Water Quality Management Seminar: Special Session on Practical Case Sharing for Technological Innovation,” which was held alongside the subcommittee, the presenters included Mao Dehua, a professor at Hunan Normal University in China; Nobuhiko Miwa, Chairman of Shiga Prefecture in Japan; Lee Gwang-hee, Team Leader of the Clean Water Business Headquarters of Gyeongju in South Korea; and Batjargal Dawasuren, Director of the Land Management Authority in Khovd Province, Mongolia.
The NEAR Subcommittee on Innovation Plus, one of the 19 subcommittees of NEAR, is coordinated by Hunan Province of China, with an aim to deal with a wide range of innovation-related topics.
Mr. Lim had an interview with Hunan Daily, a Chinese press.
Relevant news link:
(Hunan Daily)
https://m.voc.com.cn/xhn/news/202410/20885497.html
(China Daily)
https://cn.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202410/24/WS6719e8b2a310b59111d9fa68.html