On August 12, 2026, the Network of East Asian Think-tanks (NEAT) 2026 Annual Conference and the 44th Country Coordinators Meeting were held in Seoul, the Republic of Korea. The conference was hosted by the Korean Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, the NEAT country coordinator for the ROK as NEAT chair country in 2026, and organized by the Seoul National University Asia Center, with nearly 30 representatives of NEAT country coordinators from ASEAN, China, Japan and the ROK. Wang Shiting, Secretary of the CPC Committee of China Foreign Affairs University and Secretary-General of the Research Center for a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity, led the NEAT China delegation, with Professor Yang Yue, Deputy Director of the Institute of Asian Studies, Associate Research Fellow Miao Ji and Lecturer Zhao Xiao attending the conference.

The participating representatives jointly reviewed and adopted four working group reports: 'Green Transition and Energy Security Cooperation in ASEAN Plus Three' drafted by NEAT China, 'Digital Transformation and Inclusive Aging in the ASEAN Plus Three Region' drafted by NEAT ROK, 'Addressing Social Challenges Related to Population Aging in East Asia' drafted by NEAT Japan, and 'Advancing Interoperable Digital Trade Systems and Building Resilient Supply Chains in the ASEAN Plus Three Region' drafted by NEAT Philippines. Based on the policy recommendations of these working groups, the conference drafted and adopted NEAT's annual policy recommendation report, 'NEAT Memorandum No. 23.' The memorandum will be submitted by NEAT ROK to the ASEAN Plus Three Senior Officials' Meeting, copied to the ASEAN Secretariat, and presented through the Senior Officials' Meeting to the ASEAN Plus Three Leaders' Meeting.