TCS coordinates China, Japan, S Korea to promote co-op

The Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) is devoted to promoting cooperation between China, Japan and South Korea and regional peace and prosperity, TCS Secretary-General Shin Bong-kil said.

Established in 2011, the TCS has actively participated in preparing and organizing summits and ministerial meetings, held exchanges and seminars and played an important role in deepening mutual understanding and promoting trilateral cooperation, Shin said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

China, Japan and South Korea launched Free Trade Area (FTA) negotiations on Nov. 20 during a series of meetings of East Asian leaders in Cambodia's Phnom Penh.

The TCS has made unremitting efforts in promoting FTA construction, Shin said, noting that the organization not only took part in the preparation of related meetings, but also helped the South Korean government disseminate the importance of the FTA to the public.

There are different opinions on the establishment of the FTA in South Korea and promotion from the government only is not persuasive enough, Shin said.

As an international organization, the TCS can give full play to its advantages and help the South Korean citizens understand the importance a free trade agreement exerts on East Asia, he added.

Currently, the construction of the FTA among China, Japan and South Korea is attracting global attention. "(The FTA) has significance beyond economy. It is helpful in creating a peaceful and prosperous environment in the Asian region," Shin said.

Talks on Asia's Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) are expected to be accelerated after the three countries reach an FTA agreement, he said.

China, Japan and South Korea have inseparable ties in geography, history and culture. The three are friendly neighbors and pillars to safeguard regional peace and prosperity.

However, Japan's stance on the question of history has become one of the biggest obstacles in trilateral cooperation, Shin said

Following the principle of starting with easy ones first, the TCS will organize activities to ease tensions and promote understanding, Shin said.

The sixth China-Japan-South Korea summit will be held in Seoul in 2013, Shin said.

"We are brainstorming ideas to prepare the summit. Besides politics, we put emphasis on people-to-people exchanges to enhance mutual understanding," Shin said, adding that the TCS is considering establishing friendly societies of overseas students and friendly organizations of members of parliament.

Leaders of China, Japan and South Korea decided to set up a secretariat for trilateral cooperation in 2009. The TCS was inaugurated in Seoul in September 2011.

The body is responsible for providing administrative and technical support for the operation and management of such trilateral consultative mechanisms as the Trilateral Summit Meeting and the Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Meeting, communicate and coordinate with the three countries and other international organizations, explore and identify potential cooperative projects.