On June 28, the NEAR Secretariat hosted an online meeting, inviting the NEAR honorary ambassadors from member regional governments of China. The event was attended by seven honorary ambassadors from six NEAR members in China, including Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Shandong Province, Shanxi Province, Heilongjiang Province, Hunan Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Kim Ok-chae, NEAR Secretary-General, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. The honorary ambassador from Ningxia participated in the meeting and made a presentation.

Kim Ok-chae, NEAR Secretary-General, attends the meeting and delivers a speech.

Kim Ok-chae stated that NEAR upholds exchanges, cooperation and common development of Northeast Asia. He hoped that all honorary ambassadors would play a more active role in promoting common development in the region. The seven honorary ambassadors and officials from NEAR Secretariat shared their views and experience on promoting exchanges and friendship among local governments.

Zhang Xiuyuan, honorary ambassador from Ningxia, expressed that he would fulfill his duties to promote NEAR in Ningxia. He would also contribute his part to make Ningxia’s voice heard in the world, tell China’s stories well, enhance mutual understanding, and deepen exchanges and cooperation among local governments in Northeast Asia.

Zhang Xiuyuan, Director of International Cooperation and Exchanges Department of Ningxia Medical University, attends the meeting and makes a presentation.

Participants of the meeting

Established in 1996, the Association of North East Asia Regional Governments (NEAR) is a regional international cooperation organization consisting of 79 provincial governments of China, Japan, the ROK, Mongolia, Russia and the DPRK. It is also one of the most representative multilateral cooperation mechanisms of regional governments in Northeast Asia, covering a total population of over 700 million. Ningxia joined the NEAR in 2000 and is a coordinator of the NEAR Subcommittee on Tourism.