Editor's note: Wang Fudong is an assistant researcher at the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

On December 24, the Eighth China-Japan-ROK leaders' meeting was held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. During the meeting, the leaders of China, Japan and ROK held intensive trilateral and bilateral talks, reaching a series of agreements on cooperation and consensus. In particular, the release of the Trilateral Cooperation Vision for the Next Decade was crucial for planning future regional cooperation.

High time to strengthen trilateral cooperation

At present, the U.S. is aggressively pursuing protectionist and unilateral policies around the world, which has brought tremendous adverse impact on economic globalization, global governance and stability. Given the stalemate in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and escalating trade friction between Japan and South Korea in the Northeast Asia, it is high time to strengthen cooperation among China, Japan and ROK to better cope with the increasing uncertainties confronting this region.

As the trend of the global economic slowdown is hard to reverse, countries need to stick together for better chance of growth. In the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, the world economy did not make a fundamental comeback. Instead, crises have been always lurking. Countries have been facing challenges such as inert structural reforms, belated technological revolutions, weak economic growth and prominent social contradictions. As Asian powerhouses, China, Japan and ROK trilateral cooperation is of vital significance to the development outlook of Asia and the world.

Trilateral cooperation based on solid ground and potential

China, Japan and ROK bear enormous potential in economic cooperation. As economic heavyweights with advanced technologies, China, Japan and ROK are important development partners for each other thanks to their highly integrated economies and complementary industrial structures.

Besides, dense populations and good social governance in all three countries set the stage for enormous development potential. Committed to developing emerging industries such as 5G and artificial intelligence, they also share broad space for tech cooperation.

The trilateral cooperation is underpinned by solid historical and cultural foundation. Japanese imperialist aggression in modern times and the confrontation incurred during the Cold War once drove wedges between East Asian countries. But if we take a longer view, peaceful coexistence, mutual learning and close cultural exchanges are the defining characteristics of history in East Asia. 

Compared with Europe, the Middle East and other regions during the same period, there have been far fewer wars in East Asia. The three countries share similar cultural and conceptual foundations marked by oriental ideas valuing harmony and peaceful symbiosis. Ignoring their regional history and blindly upholding theories of confrontation developed in European history would be counter-productive.

A multi-pronged approach to China-Japan-ROK cooperation

On the economic front, the three countries will open wider to each other, push for stronger trade and industrial cooperation, accelerate the China-Japan-ROK Free Trade Agreement negotiations, promote the integration of the Belt and Road Initiative with the multilateral economic strategies in Japan and ROK, and encourage trilateral cooperation in four-party trading arrangements under the model of "China-Japan-ROK plus X" so that the cooperation among the three countries can benefit other countries and regions around the world.

Moreover, collaborative scientific and technological innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence, big data and the Internet of Things will be stepped up. All three countries agree to strengthen coordination within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, safeguard free trade and multilateralism, and arrive at the conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership as soon as possible.

On the political front, three countries will improve institutions and mechanisms to enhance mutual trust. Efforts will be made to promote the construction of multilateral security mechanisms in Northeast Asia, actively build constructive security relations, and keep alive the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula. The East Asian regional cooperation structure will be improved by making routine meetings between leaders and between officials at all levels. Such meetings shall not be suspended for any single event at any time, hence ensuring the continuity of future cooperation.

In terms of people-to-people exchange, the three countries will gradually develop mutual recognition and consensus. Mutual recognition has been a weak link in China-Japan-ROK cooperation and a key factor in holding back closer regional cooperation. During the tripartite meeting, the leaders of the three countries especially stressed the role of more exchanges in culture, education, sports, media, youth and other fields to enhance mutual understanding and feelings of affinity between peoples to consolidate the foundation for future cooperation.

In a nutshell, the meeting convened and achieved fruitful results at a testy time for the world, adding a silver lining to news of a gloomy world economy and troubling geopolitics, bearing great significance for regional peace, stability and development.

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