SEOUL - The Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS), a Seoul-based international body for regional peace, held a forum Tuesday on cooperation among China, South Korean and Japan.

The International Forum for Trilateral Cooperation 2021 was hosted by the TCS under the theme of "In light of the TCS 10-year anniversary: the new trilateral partnership in the next decade."

"Trilateral cooperation and the TCS have been developing successfully, regardless of the ups and downs of the three bilateral relations, but at the same time, we still have a long way to go. I am glad to have witnessed the continuous and institutional development of trilateral cooperation," said TCS Secretary-General Hisashi Michigami.

Congratulatory remarks were scheduled to be made in the opening session by Ambassador of China to South Korea Xing Haiming, Ambassador of Japan to South Korea Koichi Aiboshi, and Choi Jong-moon, the South Korean second vice foreign minister.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi were set to deliver written congratulatory messages to reconfirm the importance of trilateral cooperation and give future guidance for the TCS.

A keynote speech will be made by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, South Korea's former foreign minister, followed by the sessions in which in-depth discussions will be made by central, local government officials, scholars, business experts, and experts of education, youth and culture from the three countries.

The forum will be held in an online-offline hybrid format and divided into three sessions: achievements of the TCS and future trilateral cooperation; voices from the business community -- the path forward for revitalized economic cooperation amid the pandemic; and empowering the future generation -- trilateral youth community building.

The TCS is an international body that was launched in September 2011 and headquartered in Seoul with an aim to promote peace and common prosperity among the three Asian nations.