The future of trilateral cooperation between China, Japan and ROK belongs to the youth of the three countries. The Northeast Asian community will be led by the young generation who have global perspectives and a strong sense of a regional community. Educating the future leaders of trilateral cooperation is an important but challenging task. Governments of China, Japan and ROK have recognized the significance of fostering regional leaders, through promoting education cooperation and student exchanges during the past years. CAMPUS Asia, much like the Erasmus Programme in Europe, was launched in 2011 to encourage exchanges among university students of the three countries and to cultivate Northeast Asian specialists. Moreover, the Trilateral Education Ministers’ Meeting was established in 2016 to further strengthen and institutionalize trilateral cooperation on education.
The TCS works closely with the governments of the three countries to support cooperative projects targeting the alumni of the CAMPUS Asia program and the Children’s Story Exchange (CSE) program, which aim to promote exchange and mutual understanding among the youth of the three countries. It also co-hosts the Trilateral Youth Summit (TYS), for the students from the three countries to engage in group discussions, research, and presentations, to foster critical thinking skills. In addition to providing support to government-initiated projects, the TCS also organizes flagship projects and events for the youth such as the Young Ambassador Program (YAP), which brings together future leaders of the three countries to cultivate a sense of community and a better understanding of trilateral cooperation.