SEOUL, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming China-Japan-South Korea leaders' meeting "will serve as an opportunity to revive various cooperation projects and revitalize trilateral cooperation," the head of a Seoul-based trilateral group has said.
"The three countries need to share a clear perception that win-win-win through cooperation, not confrontation and conflict, is the only way forward for national interests and the happiness of their peoples," said Lee Hee-sup, secretary-general of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS), in a recent interview with Xinhua.
The ninth Trilateral Summit Meeting of China, Japan, and South Korea will be held in Seoul from Sunday to Monday.
Trilateral cooperation, which has been stalled due to factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, is more necessary than ever amidst global protectionist trends, armed conflicts, supply chain restructuring, climate change, and fluctuating situations in Northeast Asia, Lee said.
As important neighbors, South Korea, China, and Japan share many cultural similarities and play a pivotal role in the Asia-Pacific economy as well as the global economy, he noted.
Despite ups and downs in bilateral relations over the past decades, trilateral cooperation has made remarkable progress in areas such as economy, trade, society, culture, politics, security and sports, he said.
Over the past 25 years since the launch of China-Japan-South Korea cooperation, a cooperative framework centered around the summit meeting and supported by ministerial meetings, senior officials' meetings, and over 70 working-level mechanisms has gradually been established.
To overcome economic challenges such as the spread of trade protectionism, South Korea, China, and Japan should compete in good faith and cooperate in as many fields as possible, Lee said.
"The three countries, which have achieved economic growth through free trade and globalization, need to cooperate closely for the protection of free trade and the multilateral trade systems in a world where the free trade order is being threatened," he added.
The three countries should also continue to leverage the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership through consultations and cooperation, he said.
As part of efforts to foster closer ties among the peoples, the TCS, launched in 2011 to promote peace and common prosperity among the three nations, plans to expand youth exchanges through projects such as the youth summit, the youth ambassador program, and the youth speech contest this year. ■