Lan Foan, a former member of the Standing Committee of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee, was appointed as an acting governor of NEAR member Shanxi Province, China, on June 4.

Before being inaugurated as the deputy secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and the acting governor of Shanxi Province, Governor Lan served as the deputy governor of Guangdong Province in 2016. Furthermore, he was a member of the Standing Committee of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee and the secretary of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection in 2017. Governor Lan is regarded as a great figure who has contributed greatly by leading the social development initiatives of Guangdong Province and Hainan Province during his terms.

Since it joined NEAR as an official member in 2016, Shanxi Province has participated actively in various international exchange events hosted by NEAR. It has also made considerable contributions in facilitating exchange and development among member regional governments by leading the Subcommittee on Energy and Climate since 2018.

NEAR Secretary General Kim Ok-chae sent a congratulatory letter to the newly inaugurated Lan Foan on June 12. He asked for active participation and support of this year’s 13th General Assembly as well as for support in the promotion and the enhancement of exchange and cooperation between Northeast Asian regional governments.