On September 11, during the 2025 NEAR Subcommittee on Tourism held in Zhongwei, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, NEAR Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin held a bilateral meeting with Fan Yong, Director-General of the Foreign Affairs Office of Jiangxi Province, to discuss prospects for future cooperation.
Secretary-General Lim introduced NEAR and its recent activities, emphasizing that Jiangxi central to China’s “Rise of Central China” strategy—would greatly benefit from formally joining NEAR, the largest multilateral exchange and cooperation platform for local governments in Northeast and Central Asia. He expressed hope that Jiangxi would utilize the NEAR platform to advance its development and enhance international cooperation with regional governments.
Director-General Fan responded that through his participation in the Subcommittee, he deepened his understanding of NEAR’s vital role in fostering cooperation among local governments in Northeast Asia. He introduced Jiangxi as a province with strengths in tourism, traditional medicine, mineral resources, and electronic information industries. He further stated that Jiangxi would actively consider NEAR membership and report the matter to relevant higher authorities.
During the Subcommittee, Secretary-General Lim also met with representatives from Shandong, Henan, Hunan, and Gansu Provinces; Okinawa, Japan; Turkistan Region, Kazakhstan; as well as Korean representatives, including Counselor Kim Eung-soo of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in China.
Dong Ling, Vice Chair of the Ningxia People’s Congress
Sun Lei, Deputy Director-General of the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism
Nakazato Kazuyuki, Deputy Director of the Peace and Regional Diplomacy Promotion Division, Okinawa Prefectural Government
Zhumakan Chinggis Khan, Deputy Director of the Tourism Department, Turkistan Region
Zhao Huiyong, Vice Mayor of Zhongwei City
Cherengbadang Gansukh, Deputy Governor of Khövsgöl Aimag
Kim Young-min, Consul of the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Xian
Kim Eung-soo, Counselor of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in China