On Friday, August 8, NEAR Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin, met with Wang Yen-chun, Party Secretary of Dunhuang, Gansu Province, and his delegation during their visit to Gyeongju. Secretary-General Lim provided an overview of NEAR and exchanged views on potential avenues for mutual cooperation.
Secretary-General Lim outlined NEAR’s organizational structure, recent activities, major events scheduled for the year. He highlighted examples of Chinese member government engagement, emphasizing in particular the relationship between Gansu Province and NEAR. He also expressed hopes that Dunhuang, as part of Gansu Province, would work closely with the Gansu Provincial Foreign Affairs Office to participate in NEAR events, such as the Tourism Subcommittee, and make full use of the NEAR platform to foster substantive exchanges and cooperation with other member governments in Northeast Asia.
In response, Party Secretary Wang Yen-chun stated that the introduction to NEAR and its recent activities had provided him with a clear understanding of NEAR as a highly useful platform for intergovernmental cooperation in the Northeast Asian region. Noting Dunhuang's role as a key gateway on the ancient Silk Road and its status as home to three UNESCO-listed cultural and historical heritage sites, he expressed the city’s intention to collaborate with NEAR in hosting international events related to cultural and tourism exchanges, as well as promoting academic cooperation between Dunhuang and NEAR member governments. He also extended a formal invitation to Secretary-General Lim to attend the 8th Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo.
Also in attendance were Choi Joo-hwa, Director of the NEAR Secretariat’s International Cooperation Department; Wang Lijun, CEO of the Dunhuang Cultural Tourism Group; Gong Haiyun, Director of the Dunhuang Municipal Bureau of Commerce; and Yu Jingmei, Deputy Director of the Dunhuang Municipal Foreign Affairs Office.