NEAR Secretary-General Hong Jong-kyong visited Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China from June 14(Wed.) to 16(Fri.), 2017, and attended the opening ceremony and formal dinner for the China-Russia Fair. He also attended the Belt and Road International Forum for Heilongjiang Comprehensive Revitalization on the morning of June 15(Thur.), to deliver a presentation on the cooperation between NEAR and Heilongjiang Province for external economic development. After the opening ceremony, an MOU signing took place between Secretary-General Hong and the Director of Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, Zhu Yu.

Secretary-General Hong met with several forum participants to discuss future cooperation with the NEAR Secretariat: Masahiro Kawai, Representative Director of the Northeast Asia Economic Research Institute (ERINA), Niigata, Japan, Victor Larin, Director of the Institute of History and Archeology at the Far East Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Nikolay Prihodko, Advisor to the President on International Relations, Amur State University of Russia, Bayarkhuu Dashdorj, Director of the Mongolian Academy of Foreign Studies,  Bayasakh JK, Director of Academy of International Affairs, and Da Zhigang Director of the Heilongjiang Provincial Institute of Northeast Asian Studies.

In the afternoon, Secretary-General Hong attended the China-Russia Fair and visited the booths run by NEAR members such as Chungcheongbuk-do Province, Chungcheongnam-do Province, and Sejong Special Autonomous City.

He met with the Vice Governor Hao Hui Long of Heilongjiang Province and discussed the joint development plans and strategies for Heilongjiang Province and regional governments in the Northeast Asia.