Others Secretary-General Amb. OU Boqian interviews with Chosun Ilbo
2022.03.02
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"Young people from the three countries of Korea, China, and Japan cannot change the past, but they can shape the future."
In a recent interview with the Chosun Ilbo at the office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, OU Boqian, Secretary-General of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS), said, "The three countries of Korea, China, and Japan had a time of conflict, but their history shows cooperation was stronger."
TCS is an international organization established between the governments of Korea, China, and Japan with the aim of realizing a vision of peace, stability and joint prosperity in Northeast Asia. In September 2011, the TCS was established in Seoul, and personnel from the three countries, Korea, China, and Japan, take turns every two years to become Secretary-General. OU, who took office in September last year, is a Chinese professional diplomat.
She served as Political Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Australia, Chinese Ambassador to Grenada, and Vice President of the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs. "It's my first time staying in Korea for a long time, but I always had a good impression of Korea," she said, "The two countries are close neighbors and there are many similarities in culture and tradition, so I feel relatively familiar with working in Korea," adding, "I am trying to learn Korean and I like Korean stone pot bibimbap."
SG OU stressed the need for cooperation between the three countries, saying that Korea, China, and Japan faced joint challenges and difficulties due to recent changes in the international landscape and the COVID-19 crisis. She put youth exchange as a key task of TCS to overcome the differences in historical perceptions of the three countries and to respect and understand each other. Currently, TCS is operating nine youth exchange-related programs, including the Young Ambassadors Program and the Trilateral Youth Speech Contest. “Most of the young people I recently met through the youth exchange program had an international perspective,” she said. "The future is bright because there are young people who have a positive understanding of cooperation between the three countries."
Regarding the recent controversy over issues such as Kimchi and Hanbok, she said, "In order to increase mutual trust and favorability, cultural commonality should be used as a driving force to strengthen the bonds of the three countries," adding, "At the same time, we should respect cultural differences and go on a path of harmony and co-prosperity.”
SG OU also cited economic cooperation as a major task of cooperation between the three countries. “Through the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the three countries of Korea, China, and Japan will cooperate under one free trade system for the first time in history,” she said. "The three countries should take advantage of this historically meaningful opportunity to strengthen economic and trade cooperation." Although the Trilateral Summit Meeting has not been held for two years, she said, "The cooperation between the three countries remains strong online and offline at the working level."
SG OU said, "The three countries, Korea, China, and Japan, are inseparable neighboring countries and have a very high degree of humanistic ties and economic convergence," adding, "We hope that joint efforts will bring lasting peace and continuous prosperity in Northeast Asia."
