On October 23, Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin met with Li Jianzhong, Vice Governor of Hunan Province, along with delegations from member governments and related institutions who attended the NEAR Subcommittee on Innovation Plus. They discussed matters of cooperation between NEAR and Hunan Province. 

Vice Governor Li shared with Mr. Lim the current status of Hunan Province and its core policies, and appreciated NEAR’s crucial role in promoting exchange and cooperation among the Northeast Asian local governments. Then he expressed his hope that, through the Subcommittee on Innovation Plus and other NEAR events, extensive and practical cooperation will spread in various fields, including ① expanding industrial cooperation, ② strengthening humanity exchanges, particularly youth exchanges, and ③ deepening economic and trade collaboration. 

In response, Mr. Lim acknowledged Hunan Province’s contribution during its term as the 12^th NEAR Chair, and expressed his gratitude for establishing the Subcommittee on Innovation Plus as well as successfully organizing its inaugural meeting.

In particular, Mr. Lim encouraged the governor or vice-governor of Hunan Province to participate in the 15^th NEAR General Assembly next year. He also requested the region’s active participation in various NEAR events planned for the following year.

Additionally, Mr. Lim conveyed his hope that Hunan Province would continue to make progress in its high-quality development initiative and take a leading role in the “Rise of Central China” policy. He also urged the region to play significant role in promoting exchange and cooperation among NEAR member governments.

In the group meeting, 14 representatives—from Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, and Russia—were present, including Borisov Kim, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Sakha; Choi Young-sook, Director of the Economic and Trade Bureau of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province; Kirillin Gavril, Minister for External Relations and Peoples’ Affairs of the Republic of Sakha; and Shevder Erdenebat, Director of Gobi-Altai in Mongolia.

On behalf of Hunan Province, six representatives participated, including Li Jianzhong, Vice Governor of Hunan Province; Liu Gean, Party-Secretary of Zhangjiajie; Ji Xinquan, Deputy-Secretary of Hunan People’s Government; Wang Hongbin, Mayor of Zhangjiajie; and Zhong Jun, Head of the Hunan Academy of Social Sciences. 

Following the subcommittee’s opening ceremony and the inaugural meeting, Vice Governor Li hosted a welcome luncheon.