At the 1999 Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in the Philippines, the leaders of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea held a "breakfast meeting", which heralded a new era of cooperation between the three countries.

The trilateral cooperation mechanism was carried out under the framework of ASEAN+3 until December 2008 when the heads of state of Japan and the ROK and the Chinese premier met in Fukuoka, Japan, for the first time outside of the ASEAN countries.

After that, the 2009 summit in Beijing reviewed the trilateral cooperation of the previous decade, and the 2010 Jeju Island conference delivered a blueprint for cooperation in the next decade. Before the Tokyo meeting in May 2011, leaders of the three countries visited Fukushima, which had just been hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami, and expressed condolences to the victims in an unforgettable example of solidarity.

The trilateral meeting mechanism has played an irreplaceable role in galvanizing support, charting courses and promoting cooperation. The three countries have also established 21 ministerial-level meetings and over 70 dialogue mechanisms.

As the three-party cooperation celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, it is worth saying that divided, they will lose; united, they will win.

Despite their ups and downs, the development of relations over the past two decades has laid a solid foundation for future cooperation and practical need will drive coordination and cooperation in all areas such as industry, technology, culture, tourism and environmental protection.

The new dynamics in the international and regional political landscape also call for the greater engagement of the three players. Expanding cooperation accords with the common aspirations of people and the fundamental interests of the three countries.

Safeguarding peace and stability in Northeast Asia, especially advancing a peace mechanism and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, is critical for future cooperation. The three nations should engage with the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to ease tensions in the region and yield tangible results in the peninsula situation. All three parties should be committed to the long-term peace and stability of Northeast Asia as it is in their common interests.

Second, the three nations should enhance bilateral relations, by properly handling their disputes and differences bearing in mind the bigger picture and setting goals for the next stage of cooperation. In this regard pragmatic bilateral cooperation can help pave the way for trilateral cooperation.

In addition, the three countries must champion multilateralism, defend the rule-based multilateral trading system and an open global economy, and resolutely oppose unilateralism and protectionism. The combined GDP of China, Japan and the ROK accounts for 90 percent of East Asia's total, and 20 percent of the world total.

If the three speak in one voice on major issues, the regional economic integration can be accelerated. They should specifically work for the completion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement within this year and speed up talks on the China-Japan-ROK free trade zone.

To promote long-term cooperation and development, the three need to take advantage of the "China-Japan-ROK+ X" model to expand the scope of cooperation. Mongolia and Russia's Far East should be in the picture, considering their geographical closeness. Another neighbor, the DPRK, should not be a missing piece. Such a "the more, the merrier" future will create conditions and gain experience for building a true Northeast Asian community.

On the other side of the coin, the "X" is also needed for China, Japan and ROK, especially on global issues such as climate change and financial risks. With more partners, the cultural exchanges will also be more extensive and fruitful.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China, is a public good that can boost China-Japan-ROK cooperation. The three nations can give full play to their own advantages while participating in lots of cooperative projects. They can reach out to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation, African Union, and other regional organizations in the Middle East, Latin America and the South Pacific.

People-to-people diplomacy needs to be strengthened. While official channels are readily available, nongovernmental exchanges have been lacking. Chinese regions have great vibrancy and rich culture and they are enthusiastic about cultural exchanges with their Japanese and ROK counterparts.

The forms and frequencies of cultural exchanges can also be improved.

For instance, Chinese audiences, especially the younger generation, have a passion for Japanese movies. It would be possible to have a film week every year in the three countries, or go an extra mile by running music festivals, theater festivals and comic conventions. This would require lots of legwork from enthusiasts, as well as the support of the host cities and interested enterprises.

Tourism cooperation is crucial to nurturing affinity and enhancing mutual understanding among the three peoples. Statistically, the Chinese outbound tourists to Japan and the ROK far exceed the inbound tourists from Japan and ROK to China, more should be done to attract Japanese and ROK tourists to China.

The current tourism model with sightseeing and shopping as the main content fails to enable communication between tourists and locals. Most whirlwind trips to a foreign country can never deliver the cultural experience. The excellent home stay tourism in Japan and the ROK has set a good example for China. To ensure healthy development of three-way tourism, the three countries should be encouraged to discuss best practices and innovative ways to promote tourism.

Last but not least, we should focus on the younger generations. Networking events to connect Chinese, Japanese and Korean youth should be arranged during the Tokyo Summer Olympics and the Beijing Winter Olympics.

In addition, young people from the three countries can be regrouped into a larger corps with combined strength and resources, to cement the friendship and communicate the cooperative ideas to the world.

The author is vice-president of China Public Diplomacy Association and vice-president of China Soong Ching Ling Foundation.

This article was translated by Hou Sheng.

The author contributed this article to China Watch exclusively. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of China Watch.

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