Moscow – The 25th Consultative Commission (CC) Meeting of the Greater Tumen Initiative (GTI) was convened in Moscow, Russian Federation, on 4 December 2025, with the option for virtual participation. The meeting brought together representatives from GTI Member States – the People’s Republic of China, Mongolia, the Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation – alongside senior officials from relevant line ministries, local governments of Northeast Asia, the NEA Business Association, EXIM Bank Association, financial and academic institutions, international organizations, and the GTI Secretariat. The 4th Annual Forum on Connectivity and the 2nd GTI National Coordinators Meeting in 2025 were held successfully back-to-back.
Mr. Nikita KONDRATEV, Director General of the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects at the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, opened the meeting. He welcomed the delegates and thanked the GTI Secretariat and the Russian Foreign Trade Academy for organizing support. Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the GTI, which began as the Tumen River Area Development Programme and was officially established as the GTI in 2005, he highlighted the meeting's theme: "From Opportunities to Impact: Advancing Economic Growth in Northeast Asia." Under Russia’s chairmanship, he outlined three priorities: 1) enabling a business environment through growth centers like special economic zones; 2) promoting thriving tourism growth, referencing the completed GTI ecotourism project and a handbook featuring 46 routes across member countries; and 3) fostering a resilient and dynamic creative economy, which in Russia accounts for over 4% of GDP (exceeding the global average of 3.1%) and employs 5.4 million people.
The opening remarks continued with statements from the heads of delegation of Mongolia, China, and the Republic of Korea.
Ms. Darinchuluun Erdenetuya, Director General of the Trade and Economic Cooperation Policy Department, Ministry of Economy and Development of Mongolia, emphasized the GTI's vital role for sustainable development in a complex global landscape. She stated that Mongolia’s national policy is aligned closely with the GTI’s strategic priorities, focusing on strengthening regional cooperation in trade, investment, transregional infrastructure, industry, agriculture, and energy. She highlighted the Mongolia-Russia-China Economic Corridor's potential to transform transport routes into dynamic economic corridors. Ms. Darinchuluun stressed the importance of "soft connectivity," including streamlined policies, digital coordination, and reducing non-tariff barriers to support e-commerce. She reiterated Mongolia's commitment to improving the business environment through legislative reforms and public-private collaboration and called for interoperable databases and single-window systems to facilitate cross-border trade.
Mr. LIN Feng, Director General of the Department of International Economic and Trade Relations, Ministry of Commerce, People’s Republic of China, reflected on GTI's 30-year history of practical cooperation in 6 priority areas. He noted that unilateral protectionist measures have severely impacted regional economic development and called for strengthened solidarity. He proposed three perspectives: 1) further advance regional economic integration by enhancing both "hard" and "soft" connectivity; 2) tap into the potential of emerging fields like the digital and green economy by implementing the GTI Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029 and the GTI Digital Economic Cooperation Roadmap; and 3) advance GTI's legal transition into an independent international organization at an early date, which holds significant strategic value. He called on all parties to accelerate this process through flexible and pragmatic pathways.
Mr. MIN Kyung-Seol, Director General of the International Economic Affairs Bureau, the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Korea, acknowledged GTI’s role as a platform for regional collaboration over 30 years but also noted its challenges, including the need to secure an independent legal personality. He emphasized the growing need for solidarity in a rapidly changing environment and urged a shift from conceptual discussions to concrete projects. He offered three recommendations: 1) advance GTI's legal transition into an independent international organization; 2) strengthen multi-layered cooperation by engaging the private sector and local governments through bodies like the NEA Business Association; and 3) actively encourage other countries, especially the DPRK, to rejoin the GTI, which would enable key connectivity projects and contribute to regional peace and stability.
Delegates positively reviewed GTI’s overall progress since the 24th CC Meeting and endorsed the 2024 Expenditure Report, the 2025-2026 Budget Proposal, and the Work Plan 2025-2026.
Representatives from Jilin Province of China, the Korean Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP), and the Liaoning University of International Business and Economics also presented key outcomes from recent GTI activities.
In the second session, Resilient and Dynamic Creative Economy, Russia opened the session by highlighting the sector's strategic importance and proposed four cooperation directions: harmonizing measurement frameworks, strengthening institutional linkages, supporting digital adoption and responsible AI, and promoting market access. China welcomed this new cooperation area and proposed three cooperation priorities: fostering an open policy environment, advancing digital and green innovation, and promoting inclusive development for SMEs. The ROK presented the global competitiveness of "K-Content" and strategies for its future growth, including glocalization and becoming a global content hub.
In the third session, Thriving Tourism Growth, Russia outlined its national tourism strategy, with the goal to increase tourism's GDP contribution from 3% to 5% by 2030, highlighting infrastructure development and cross-border routes. Mongolia reported over 11% average annual tourism growth with over 800,000 visitors and proposed developing a unified regional tourism brand and sustainable tourism projects. China noted global tourism revenue reached USD 6.1 trillion in 2024 and proposed enhancing regional attractiveness through cross-border routes, deepening industrial synergy (citing Harbin's ice-snow economy, which attracted 87 million tourists and generated RMB 124.8 billion in revenue in 2023-2024), and improving tourism facilitation. The ROK presented its inbound tourism innovation strategy focused on creating new tourism zones beyond Seoul, leveraging K-culture, fostering high-value sectors (medical and wellness tourism), and improving traveler-first services.
The meeting concluded with the unanimous adoption of the Moscow Declaration. The Government of Mongolia assumed the GTI CC Chairmanship and confirmed it will host and chair the 26th CC Meeting in 2026.
