The Northeast Asia Young Entrepreneurs Development and Cooperation Forum was held in Changchun, capital city of Northeast China's Jilin Province, on Aug 24. 

The event was organized by the All-China Youth Federation (ACYF) and People's Government of Jilin Province, with the theme of “Innovation and Development, Win-Win Cooperation”.

Xu Xiao, Vice-chairman of the ACYF, and Liang Renzhe, Vice-governor of Jilin, addressed the forum.

Around 200 young entrepreneurs and representatives of cooperation organizations from China, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, and Russia attended the event.

Xu said that countries in Northeast Asia have steadily promoted connectivity, and regional cooperation has reached new heights. He called on young entrepreneurs to uphold openness and connectivity, consolidate the foundation of regional cooperation, stick to innovative development, and maintain unity and collaboration to promote regional prosperity and development.

Liang said that Jilin, situated in the geographical center of Northeast Asia, is an important gateway for the Belt and Road Initiative to develop northward. It has formed development advantages in industries such as automobile, deep processing of agricultural products, eco-tourism, medicine and health, petrochemical engineering, equipment manufacturing, and electronic information, he added. 

He expressed his hope that young entrepreneurs from Northeast Asia would actively engage in communication and cooperation in economy and trade, technology and talent cultivation, and promote integrated economic development in the region. 

Representatives at the forum agreed that strengthening economic and trade cooperation in Northeast Asia will not only benefit the development of their own country, but also be vital for the prosperity and development of the regional and global economy. 

They expressed their expectation to make good use of the China-Northeast Asia Expo with young entrepreneurs from Northeast Asian countries, to build consensus, expand cooperation, seek common development and create a better future. 

The forum released the Northeast Asia Economic Cooperation Changchun Declaration for Young Entrepreneurs, and reached consensus on establishing a mechanism for communication and cooperation among young entrepreneurs in this region. It called on entrepreneurs to forge ahead and make innovation, deepen mutually-beneficial cooperation, and enhance mutual trust and understanding, so as to implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with concrete actions. 

During the forum, various events such as the promotion of economic and trade cooperation projects and thematic dialogues for young entrepreneurs were also held. Young entrepreneurs engaged in cooperative negotiations in such fields as modern equipment manufacturing and new energy, modern service industry, modern agriculture, and the digital economy, deepening practical cooperation in multiple areas and tapping into opportunities for investment through various channels. A total of 29 intents of cooperation were reached, with an estimated amount of 1.41 billion yuan ($193.4 million).

As a special event of the 14th China-Northeast Asia Expo, the forum aimed to create a platform of communication and cooperation for young entrepreneurs from Northeast Asia, and to promote international cooperation for youth development. It was hosted by the China International Youth Exchange Center, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Jilin Sub-council, Jilin Youth Federation, and Jilin Young Entrepreneurs Association.