On September 21, the 13th NEAR Working Committee Meeting was held both online and offline. 146 representatives from 54 member regions and relevant organizations of China, Japan, the ROK, Mongolia and Russia attended the meeting. Kim Doo-gyum, Mayor of Ulsan Metropolitan City and the 14th Chairperson of the NEAR, made a welcoming remark via video link. Ahn Hyo-dae, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Ulsan Metropolitan City, and Kim Ok-chae, Secretary-General of the NEAR, also attended the meeting and gave speeches respectively. Fan Huafeng, Deputy Director-General of the Ningxia Foreign Affairs Office (NXFAO), delivered a speech on behalf of Ningxia.

Fan Huafeng briefed the attendees on Ningxia’s overall situation, focusing on its six emerging industries, six specialty agricultural industries and six priority industries as well as its cooperation intentions. He noted that since joining in the NEAR in September 2000, Ningxia has highly valued exchanges and cooperation with other member regional governments and has established friendly relations with Gyeongsangbuk-do of the ROK, Shimane of Japan, Bayankhongor and Övörkhangai of Mongolia. Fruitful results have been achieved through practical cooperation in fields such as investment and trade, ecological conservation, youth exchanges and Covid-19 response.

Given the NXFAO’s working responsibilities, Fan made three proposals for exchanges and cooperation among NEAR members. He suggested further facilitating regional exchanges, fully leveraging comparative strengths and boosting people-to-people exchanges.

Established in 1996, the Association of North East Asia Regional Governments (NEAR) is a regional international organization consisting of 79 provincial-level 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. Going forward, the NXFAO will give full play to its role as a bridge to build closer ties with other member regional governments to enhance understanding, expand win-win cooperation, promote regional development and deepen friendship, so as to serve China’s overall diplomacy and contribute to Ningxia’s reform and opening up.