Participants pose for a group photo before the opening ceremony of the 2025 Trilateral Cooperation Forum in Tokyo, Japan, July 1, 2025. (Xinhua/Yue Chenxing)

TOKYO, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The 2025 Trilateral Cooperation Forum was held here on Tuesday, bringing together over 200 in-person participants and hundreds of online attendees to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation among China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

The annual event, hosted by the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) under the theme "Shaping the Future Together: Trilateral Cooperation under Global Transformation," featured two sub-sessions focusing on regional and global challenges facing the three countries.

The first session examined ways to strengthen trilateral cooperation through strategic and institutional frameworks, and the second session discussed collaboration on aging societies, climate change, carbon neutrality goals, and regional economic integration.

In his opening remarks, TCS Secretary-General Lee Hee-sup highlighted the significance of deepening cooperation among the three nations amid rising geopolitical tensions, economic fragmentation, and protectionism.

The forum has become an annual flagship event, aimed at raising public awareness of trilateral collaboration and offering insights for future cooperation among the three nations. ■

Lee Hee-sup, Secretary-General of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS), delivers his opening remarks at the 2025 Trilateral Cooperation Forum in Tokyo, Japan, July 1, 2025.

The 2025 Trilateral Cooperation Forum was held here on Tuesday, bringing together over 200 in-person participants and hundreds of online attendees to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation among China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK). (Xinhua/Yue Chenxing)

Participants attend a sub-session of the 2025 Trilateral Cooperation Forum in Tokyo, Japan, July 1, 2025.

The 2025 Trilateral Cooperation Forum was held here on Tuesday, bringing together over 200 in-person participants and hundreds of online attendees to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation among China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK). (Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat/Handout via Xinhua)