As a sub-session of the 2024 NEAR Members Workshop, Secretary-General LIM Byung-jin hosted a dialogue with the delegates from the provinces of Gansu, Heilongjiang, Hunan, and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on May 22.
Highlighting that the NEAR Members Workshop this year is the largest ever in terms of the number of participating member regions, Mr. Lim expressed his hopes that the NEAR members would make the best use of this Workshop interacting one another. He also promised his full support for the 1st Subcommittee on Energy Cooperation to be co-hosted by the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and the NEAR Secretariat in July this year, as well as the Subcommittee on Innovation+ to be hosted by Hunan Province in October.
<Delegates from Heilongjiang Province>
Mr. Lim conveyed the news to the LIU Yiting, level Ⅲ division rank official of the Heilongjiang Foreign Affairs Office, that FENG Yanping, head of the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, recently visited the NEAR Secretariat and expressed his willingness to host the “NEAR Northeast Asia Peace Development Forum” in the form of subcommittee aimed at promoting peace and prosperity of Northeast Asia, and requested Ms. Liu’s support.
To the delegates from Gansu Province, a region participating in a NEAR event for the first time since joining NEAR, Mr. Lim delivered words of warm welcome and hoped for Gansu Province’s active participation in the NEAR activities.
The delegates of the Chinese member regions expressed their gratitude to Mr. Lim for inviting them to the NEAR Members Workshop and appreciated the crucial role NEAR has been playing as a multilateral exchange platform.
<Delegates from Hunan Province>
CHEN Xiaomin, secretary general of Hunan Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, requested the NEAR Secretariat’s full support for the successful holding of the Subcommittee on Innovation+ this year and hoped that the NEAR Secretariat would have a fruitful meeting with the executive vice-governor of Hunan Province on June 4.
<Delegates from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region>
LI Yelin, director of People’s Government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, expressed her intention to maintain active communication with the NEAR Secretariat in organizing the Subcommittee on Energy Cooperation to be hosted by Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region this year.
<Delegates from Gansu Province>
BAI Jian, level Ⅱ bureau rank official of the Gansu Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, gave thanks to Mr. Lim for his invitation and hospitality. Introducing the history and tourist sites of Gansu Province, Ms. Bai requested Mr. Lim’s visit to the major events of Gansu Province such as Dunhuang cultural festival.