About NEAEF

Background, mission and goal and network of cooperation and partnership

The Northeast Asia Economic Forum (NEAEF) is a regional nongovernmental organization created in 1991 to sponsor and facilitate research, networking, and dialogue relevant to the economic and social development of Northeast Asia. The goal of the Northeast Asian Economic Forum (NEAEF) is to encourage cooperation, and advance knowledge and understanding about the challenges facing the Northeast Asian Region. The Forum is also committed to promoting understanding and relations among the peoples of Northeast Asia, North America and Europe. 

The main objective is for NEAEF to conduct research and conference activities aimed at functional economic cooperation such as cross-border energy, transportation and logistics infrastructure development, capital mobilization. The Forum holds annual conferences, workshops and seminars for planning, facilitating, coordinating, and implementing international and interdisciplinary solutions to common policy problems. 

It is the only nongovernmental regional organization in which all the nations of Northeast Asia and the U.S. are consistent and active participants and its Chairman is Dr. Lee-Jay Cho who has more than 30 years of experience in international and regional cooperation.  Former Governor of Hawaii, George Ariyoshi is Chairman of the Board of Hawaii Asia Pacific Institute (HAPI) in Hawaii which serves as the secretariat together with Board member, Dr. Denise Konan, Dean of the University of Hawaii’s College of Social Sciences (affiliate of  NEAEF).

Beginning with the 1991 inaugural conferences in Changchun and Tianjin, China, the NEAEF has held its annual international meetings as follows: The 1992 Pyongyang International Conference on Tumen River area development and economic cooperation with the DPRK; the August 1992 Vladivostok Conference; the Yongpyeong conference, South Korea in 1993; Niigata, Japan in 1995, Honolulu in 1996; Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in 1997; Yonago, Japan in 1998, Tianjin, China in 1999; Anchorage, Alaska in 2001; Changchun, China in 2002; Niigata, Japan in 2004, Seoul, Korea in 2005; Khabarovsk, Russia 2006; Toyama, Japan in 2007; Tianjin, China in 2008; Busan, Korea in 2009; Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in 2010; Honolulu, Hawaii in 2011; Hainan, China in 2012; Vladivostok, Russia in 2013; Seoul, Korea in 2014; and Beijing, China in 2015. 

The Forum also holds workshops and seminars for planning, facilitating, coordinating, and implementing international and interdisciplinary solutions to common policy problems.

The NEAEF’s network of distinguished partners include: Dr. Jiang Zhenghua, Former Vice Chairman, Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China; Dr. Song Jian, former State Councilor, and Chairman of State Science and Technology Commission (SSTC), China; Mr. Ma Bin, Honorary President China API (Asia Pacific Institute); Dr. Kanamori Hisao, Chairman, Kanamori Committee (Institutional Partner of NEAEF in Japan); Dr. Nakayama Taro, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Japan; Park Kwan Yong of  Korea API,  Former Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea; Mr. Hong Jae Hyung, former Vice Speaker of the National Assembly, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Economic Planning, Korea; Dr. Pavel Minakir, Academician and Director, Economic Research Institute, Far East Branch, Russia Academy of Sciences, Russia; Dr. Vladmir Kuznetsov, former Governor of Primorsky Krai; George Ariyoshi, former Governor of Hawaii,; Mr. Steve Cowper, former Governor of Alaska; Prof. Denise Konan, Dean and former chancellor, University of Hawaii, USA.