From June 12 to 13, NEAR Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin attended the 2nd Liaoning International Friendship City Conference, which was held at the Youyi Hotel in Shenyang, China, under the theme “A Promise of Mountains and Seas, Advancing Together with Friendship Cities.”
On the evening of June 12, before the opening ceremony, Secretary-General Lim attended a reception and welcome banquet hosted by Hao Peng, Party Secretary of Liaoning Province, for the event’s key participants. During the reception, he met with Liaoning Party Secretary Hao Peng, Governor Wang Xinwei, Vice President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) Lu Xiangdong, Mayor of Shenyang Lü Zhicheng, Mayor of Dalian Chen Shaowang, and others, exchanging views on enhancing exchanges and cooperation between NEAR and Liaoning Province.
He also met with the Consuls General of Japan, Russia, and North Korea in Shenyang, where he introduced NEAR and called for their interest and support.
At the opening ceremony held on June 13, Governor Wang Xinwei welcomed attendees by highlighting Liaoning's 93 sister-city relationships with 32 countries and its efforts to expand international cooperation within a more open and innovative environment. He emphasized Liaoning’s commitment to jointly creating new development opportunities in economics, technology, and culture with global partners.
Vice President Lu Xiangdong of CPAFFC emphasized that Liaoning is emerging as a hub of Northeast Asian cooperation and expressed his intent to strengthen practical outcomes through the international friendship city platform and deepen friendly relations between regions and countries.
High-level representatives from Argentina, Poland, Japan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Malaysia also delivered congratulatory remarks, underscoring the importance of cooperation among local governments and their hopes for deeper ties.
The event also witnessed the signing of several friendship and cooperation agreements:
A friendship agreement between Liaoning Province and Silesian Voivodeship, Poland
A friendship and cooperation agreement between Shenyang City and Paju City, South Korea
A sister-city agreement between Dandong City and José C. Paz in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
Additionally, memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on cultural and tourism cooperation were signed during the event.
On the sidelines of the opening ceremony, Secretary-General Lim met with Governor Tasso of Iwate Prefecture, Japan. He provided a brief overview of NEAR’s recent engagements with Japan and requested that Iwate consider joining the organization.
The Liaoning International Friendship City Conference, now in its second year since its inaugural edition in 2023, is an international platform designed to strengthen friendship and cooperation between Liaoning Province and local governments worldwide. The conference focuses on promoting quality, productivity, and regional revitalization through openness and collaboration. This year’s event gathered around 400 participants, including government officials, chambers of commerce, and representatives from the culture and tourism sectors, from over 40 countries.