On April 15, Secretary-General LIM Byung-jin visited Liaoning Province, China, to meet with LI Lecheong, the 15^th NEAR chair and governor of Liaoning Province.

Expressing his appreciation to Mr. Li for assuming the duties as the NEAR chair, Mr. Lim delivered an overview of NEAR’s major activities and projects for 2024. In particular, he called for Mr. Li's active support and emphasized the importance of close coordination between the NEAR Secretariat and Liaoning Province in order to successfully hold the NEAR High-Level Working Committee this year and the NEAR General Assembly next year.

Mr. Lim added that despite the rapid changes in the geopolitical landscape, NEAR remains firmly committed to promoting mutual prosperity and peace through multilateral exchange among Northeast Asian countries in accordance with the association’s founding spirit. Mr. Lim conveyed his hopes that Liaoning Province would play a leading role as the chair to boost exchange among local governments in Northeast Asia for the coming years.

Expressing his gratitude, Mr. Li said Liaoning Province was appointed as the 15^th NEAR chair without issue thanks to the active support of Mr. Lim. He also stated that Liaoning Province is working towards higher-level reform and policies to open up, as well as the revitalization of Northeast China. The governor also expressed hope that the upcoming High-Level Working Committee, the General Assembly, and the Subcommittee on Digital Economy to be hosted by Liaoning Province will be successful, leading to more active exchange and cooperation between local governments in Northeast Asia. The governor requested the full support of the NEAR Secretariat.

During his travels in China, Mr. Lim accompanied Governor LEE Cheol-woo of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province to a meeting with the governor of Liaoning Province and the MOU Signing Ceremony between the Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and Liaoning Province.

<Governor LEE Cheol-woo meets with Governor LI Lecheong>

<MOU Signing Ceremony between Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and Liaoning Province>