英语新闻丨Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul engage in close exchanges

As the resumption of the leaders' meeting among China, Japan and South Korea last year has created momentum for renewed exchanges, Secretary-General of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat Lee Hee-sup said that more high-level interactions are underway, with a foreign ministers' meeting expected to take place in the near future.

中日韩三国领导人会议于去年重启，为新一轮交流注入动力。三国合作秘书处秘书长李熙燮表示，更多高层互动正在进行中，三方外长会议有望于近期举行。

The governments of the three Asian neighbors, with Japan as this year's chair, are maintaining close communication on affairs related to the foreign ministers' meeting as well as a leaders' meeting, and the secretariat is making every effort to ensure the success of the gatherings, Lee told China Daily.

李熙燮向《中国日报》表示，作为今年轮值主席国的日本正与中韩两国政府就外长会议及领导人会议相关事务保持密切沟通，秘书处正全力确保会议成功举办。

After a gap of more than four years, the 9th Trilateral Summit was held in Seoul last year, during which the three leaders agreed to strive to institutionalize trilateral cooperation by holding the trilateral summit and ministerial meetings on a regular basis.

时隔四年多，第九次中日韩领导人会议于去年在首尔举行。三国领导人一致同意通过定期举行领导人会议及部长级会议，推动三方合作机制化。

Since then, various ministerial-level meetings and government mechanisms have been actively operating, and diverse cooperation projects have regained momentum, Lee said.

李熙燮称，此后，三方各类部长级会议和政府机制积极运转，多项合作项目也重拾发展势头。

There are 21 ministerial-level meetings, over 70 intergovernmental mechanisms and more than 100 cooperative projects under trilateral cooperation.

目前，三国合作框架下共有21个部长级会议、70余个政府间机制及100多个合作项目。

"Trilateral cooperation is now at a turning point where it must shift from quantitative growth to qualitative development," Lee said.

李熙燮表示：“三国合作正处于从‘量的增长’转向‘质的提升’的关键转折点。”

To achieve this qualitative leap forward with new vision and dynamism, it is crucial to build up momentum and potential for cooperation based on mutual trust, he added.

他补充道，为实现这一质的飞跃，需以新视野和新动能夯实合作基础，在相互信任中积蓄合作势能。

Lee emphasized that chronic differences such as historical issues and territorial disputes, which are difficult to resolve, should be managed prudently rather than rushed for immediate solutions.

李熙燮强调，对于历史问题和领土争端等难以解决的长期分歧，应谨慎管控而非急于求成。

The three countries have been operating bilateral mechanisms and carrying out strategic dialogues to address those differences, he said.

他表示，三国已通过双边机制和战略对话应对这些分歧。

More important, he said that the peoples of the three countries must frequently meet face-to-face to build mutual understanding and trust while expanding areas of cooperation.

更重要的是，三国人民需通过面对面交流增进理解与信任，同时拓展合作领域。

"This requires deepening people-to-people exchanges and advancing cooperation in practical areas closely related to daily life, such as the environment, disaster management, public health and aging populations," he said, adding that these areas are less affected by political factors and are those in which achievements can steadily be made.

“这需要深化人文交流，推进环境、灾害管理、公共卫生、人口老龄化等与民生密切相关的务实合作。”他指出，这些领域受政治因素影响较小，且能稳步取得成果。

In addition, by investing more positive energy in soft issues such as youth and cultural exchanges and interregional cooperation, the three countries are enhancing mutual understanding and trust among their peoples while steadily working for tangible outcomes, he said.

他还表示，三国通过加大对青年文化交流、区域合作等“软议题”的投入，既增进民间互信，又稳步推动务实成果。

The three nations agreed in May last year to designate 2025-26 as the China-Japan-South Korea Cultural Exchange Year.

去年5月，三国一致同意将2025至2026年定为“中日韩文化交流年”。

According to Lee, starting with the opening ceremony in April, various trilateral exchange events will be held, including the Culture Cities of East Asia project, the Trilateral Arts Festival and the Trilateral Cultural Content Industry Forum.

李熙燮称，从今年4月的开幕式开始，三国将举办“东亚文化之都”、中日韩艺术节、中日韩文化产业论坛等一系列交流活动。

"Cultural and people-to-people exchanges among China, Japan and South Korea, based on their cultural commonalities, are essential for sustainable peace and common prosperity," he said.

他表示：“中日韩三国基于文化共性开展的人文交流，对实现可持续和平与共同繁荣至关重要。”

As the three leaders agreed to maintain discussions on speeding up negotiations for a trilateral free-trade agreement, Lee said the negotiations will not only help identify areas of competition and areas of cooperation, allowing for more efficient collaboration, but also serve as a catalyst for upgrading the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which forms the foundation for the trilateral FTA.

三国领导人同意继续探讨加快中日韩自贸协定谈判。李熙燮指出，该谈判不仅有助于厘清竞争与合作领域、提升协作效率，还将推动作为三国自贸协定基础的《区域全面经济伙伴关系协定》（RCEP）升级。

China has been the largest trading partner of Japan and South Korea for years, while those two nations have been among the top four trading partners of China.

中国多年来是日韩最大贸易伙伴，日韩则长期位列中国前四大贸易伙伴。

Statistics show that the three countries account for over 20 percent of the world's gross domestic product and over 18 percent of global trade.

统计数据显示，三国GDP总量占全球20%以上，贸易额占全球18%以上。

Lyu Yaodong, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Japanese Studies, said that cooperation among the three countries must be future-oriented, and the common interests of the region should be prioritized.

中国社会科学院日本研究所研究员吕耀东表示，三国合作需立足未来，优先考虑地区共同利益。

This not only contributes to the well-being of the people of the three nations, but also to regional and global peace, stability and prosperity, he said.

他认为，这不仅有利于三国人民福祉，也将为地区乃至全球的和平、稳定与繁荣作出贡献。