Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat

Last updated
Trilateral Cooperation
Secretariat
  • Chinese:三国合作秘书处
    Japanese:日中韓三国協力事務局
    Korean:한중일3국협력사무국
Logo of TCS.png
Logo of TCS
China-Japan-South Korea trilateral meeting.png
Map of East Asia indicating China (red), Taiwan (pink),
Japan (green), South Korea (blue), and North Korea (light blue).
Headquarters Flag of South Korea.svg Seoul
37°34′11″N126°58′26″E / 37.56976110°N 126.97393770°E / 37.56976110; 126.97393770 [1]
Official languages
  • Working languages:
MembershipFlag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
Leaders
 Secretary-General
Flag of South Korea.svg Lee Hee-sup
 Deputy Secretaries-General
Establishment
 Established
September 1, 2011 (2011-09-01)

The Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) is an international organization established with a vision to promote "Lasting Peace, Common Prosperity, and Shared Culture" among China, Japan, and South Korea. [2] Upon the agreement signed and ratified by each of the three governments, the TCS was officially inaugurated in Seoul, on 1 September 2011. [3] On the basis of equal participation, each government shares 1/3 of the total operational budget.

Contents

Background

Development of Trilateral Cooperation

The idea of a trilateral framework between China, Japan and the Republic of Korea has its roots in the breakfasts attended by the three leaders at the sidelines of the 1999 ASEAN+3 Summit in Manila. [4] This meeting marked the first step for developing trilateral cooperation and its framework, with 1999 being celebrated as the first year of China-Japan-South Korea cooperation. [5]

The three countries continued to hold annual meetings at the ASEAN+3 Summit. After several years of negotiations, the three countries agreed at the 2007 ASEAN+3 Summit to hold separate stand-alone meetings in the future. [4] Hence, in 2008, what began as a side-conference to the ASEAN meetings officially developed into the first China-Japan-South Korea Trilateral Summit, held in Fukuoka, Japan. [6]

Foundation of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS)

Discussions of a stand-alone secretariat began in 2009 at the 2nd Trilateral Summit held in Beijing, China. This was officially agreed upon by the three countries in May 2010 at the 3rd Trilateral Summit held in Jeju, Republic of Korea, where the three leaders signed the Memorandum. Later in December 2010, the three governments signed the Agreement on the Establishment of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, [7] and the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat was finally established in Seoul, Republic of Korea in September 2011. [8]

Organization

The TCS consists of a Consultative Board and four departments. [9]

Consultative Board

The Consultative Board, the executive decision-making body of the organization, is composed of a secretary-general (SG) and two deputy secretaries-general (DSG). The secretary-general is appointed on a two-year rotational basis in the order of South Korea, Japan, and China. The other two countries nominate a deputy secretary-general each.

SGDSG
1st Board

Sep. 2011 - Aug. 2013

SHIN Bong-kil Flag of South Korea.svg MATSUKAWA Rui Flag of Japan.svg MAO Ning Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
2nd Board

Sep. 2013 - Aug. 2015

IWATANI Shigeo Flag of Japan.svg CHEN Feng Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg LEE Jong-heon Flag of South Korea.svg
3rd Board

Sep. 2015 - Aug. 2017

YANG Houlan Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg LEE Jong-heon Flag of South Korea.svg UMEZAWA Akima Flag of Japan.svg
4th Board

Sep. 2017 - Aug. 2019

LEE Jong-heon Flag of South Korea.svg YAMAMOTO Yasushi Flag of Japan.svg HAN Mei Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
5th Board

Sep. 2019 - Aug. 2021

MICHIGAMI Hisashi Flag of Japan.svg CAO Jing Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg KANG Do-ho Flag of South Korea.svg
6th Board

Sep. 2021–Present

OU Boqian Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg BEK Bum-hym Flag of South Korea.svg SAKATA Natsuko Flag of Japan.svg
7th Board

Sep. 2023–Present

LEE He-sup Flag of South Korea.svg ZUSHI Shuji Flag of Japan.svg YAN Liang Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg

Departments

Under the Consultative Board, there are four departments: Political Affairs, Economic Affairs, Socio-Cultural Affairs, and Management and Coordination. The four departments are composed of officials seconded by the three countries and general service staff recruited through open competition from the three countries.

Functions

Under the mission of promoting "Lasting Peace, Common Prosperity, and Shared Culture," the TCS aims to serve as a hub for the Trilateral Cooperation that encompasses a broad spectrum of sectors and actors.

  1. Supporting Trilateral Consultative Mechanism
  2. Promoting Public Awareness on Trilateral Cooperation
  3. Exploring and Facilitating Cooperative Projects
  4. Collaborating with Other International Organizations
  5. Compiling Database and Conducting Research [10]

Projects

Youth Exchange

Promoting trilateral cooperation / Cooperative projects

Research and Publications [11]

See also

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References

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  4. 1 2 Lee, Jong Won (March 2019). "Kim Dae Jung's Initiative for the East Asian Community and Korea-Japan-China Trilateral Cooperation" (PDF). アジア太平洋研究. 36: 19–42.
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  6. "Japan-China-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting (What's up around the Prime Minister)". japan.kantei.go.jp. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  7. Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat. "Agreement on the Establishment of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat" (PDF). tcs-asia.org.
  8. Shin, Hae-in (27 September 2011). "Trilateral secretariat officially opens in Seoul". The Korea Herald .
  9. "Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat". tcs-asia.org. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  10. "Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat". tcs-asia.org. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  11. Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat. "TCS Research and Publications". tcs-asia.org.