On Wednesday, March 12, LIM Byung-jin, Secretary-General of the Association of North East Asia Regional Governments (NEAR), hosted a group dialogue with Chinese delegates from Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Shandong, Shaanxi, and Jiangxi Provinces who participated in the 2025 NEAR Members Workshop held at Lotte Hotel Jeju.
In his presentation, Secretary-General Lim stated that this year’s workshop will be the largest workshop to date, with over 120 participants from 46 NEAR member governments in six countries and from six related institutions. He expressed hope that Chinese member governments would accomplish many achievements and spend a meaningful time on Jeju Island, the beautiful island of peace.
Ms. Lim acknowledged that Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has been actively participating in various events since joining NEAR and that it is expected to further expand exchange and cooperation in the NEAR tourism field through the Subcommittee Conference on Tourism to be held this year.
Ms. Lim took time to express appreciation of the fact that Shandong Province had served as one of the founding members and once held the position of Chair Government of NEAR. Notably, Shandong has made significant contributions to intergovernmental cooperation in ocean and fisheries fields in Northeast Asia by holding eight subcommittee conferences on ocean and fisheries. He also expressed hope for the further expansion of cooperation between the NEAR Secretariat and Shandong Province by attending the Shandong Friendly City Conference in May and the Subcommittee Conference on Ocean and Fisheries in September this year.
Regarding the delegation from Jiangxi Province, Mr. Lim expressed his gratitude for their attendance of three NEAR events as a special guest. He emphasized that since Jiangxi Province plays a vital role in the Strategy for the Rise of Central China, its accession to the NEAR will contribute to joint development among regional governments in Northeast Asia. He anticipated that Jiangxi Province would soon join NEAR as an official member or observer.
Mr. Lim praised the active participation of Shaanxi Province in various activities after joining NEAR, highlighting the province’s decision to dispatch excellent public officials to the NEAR Secretariat for the first time this year.
Regarding the 2nd Subcommittee Conference on Traditional Medicine to be held in April in Ankang City, Mr. Lim explained that despite difficult circumstances, the Secretariat is making every effort to invite member governments and guest speakers to attend in order to ensure the successful hosting of the subcommittee conference.
Delegates from Chinese member governments expressed their gratitude for the invitation to the workshop. They indicated that they would actively expand exchange and cooperation with other member governments by participating in the workshop.