The trilateral cooperation among Liaoning (China), Kanagawa (Japan), and Gyeonggi (Korea) started through three bilateral relations: friendship province/prefecture relations between Liaoning and Kanagawa (established in May 1983), the friendship prefecture/province relations between Kanagawa and Gyeonggi (established April 1990), and the friendship province relations between Liaoning and Gyeonggi (established October 1993).
To construct cooperative network based on such relations, the Friendship Region Exchange Meeting was initiated in 1996 following an initiative by Liaoning in 1995. The three regions have utilized this network to discuss how to resolve common issues, as well as to increase exchanges on a regular basis. From 2004, tangible exchange programs, such as Youth Sports Exchange Program and Academic Forums have also been initiated. The Youth Sports Exchange Program (held on a rotational basis) continues today, and the number of participants (around 150 every year) and the sports categories (three sports - soccer, basketball, and table tennis) have increased.
Compared to other trilateral exchange programs, this program is one of the longest standing exchange programs and is also one of the most developed and expanded.
- Since 1996: Friendship Provincial/Prefectural Exchange Meeting
- Since 1996, the three regions have conducted Friendship Provincial/Prefectural Exchange Meetings. Meetings are held on a rotational basis every two years, with nearly 100 public servants from the three localities attending to present best practices and discuss methods to strengthen cooperation in response to common issues.
Past Meetings :
| Meeting No. | Date | Location | No. of Participants | Agenda |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | August 1996 | Liaoning | 147 | Measures for Trilateral Cooperation |
| 2nd | September 1998 | Gyeonggi | 150 | The Role of Local Governments in Dealing with Environmental Problems |
| 3rd | September 2000 | Kanagawa | 145 | Technology and Culture |
| 4th | October 2002 | Liaoning | 250 | Measures for Cooperation between Local Governments |
| 5th | October 2004 | Gyeonggi | 230 | Strengthening Overall Trilateral Cooperation |
| 6th | November 2006 | Kanagawa | 150 | Strengthening Common Perception for Co-prosperity of Northeast Asia |
| 7th | October 2008 | Liaoning | 100 | Strengthening Trilateral Cooperation on Environmental Protection |
| 8th | October 2010 | Gyeonggi | 100 | Cooperative Measures and Strategies for Trilateral Regional Development |
| 9th | March 2013 | Kanagawa | 100 | Promoting Trilateral Economic Exchange |
| 10th | August 2014 | Liaoning | 50 | Constructing Harmonious Society to Overcome Aging Society |
| 11th | November 2017 | Gyeonggi | 70 | Measures for Trilateral Cooperation on Promoting Exchanges on Start-ups |
| 12th | May 2019 | Kanagawa | 50 | Trilateral Cooperation Measures for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) |
| 13th | October 2021 | Liaoning *online |
30 | City Regeneration |
The 13th Friendship Provincial/ Prefectural Exchange Meeting in 2021
(Source: Liaoning Province)
- Since 2004: Trilateral Provincial/Prefectural Sports Exchange Program
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At the 4th Provincial/Prefectural Exchange Meeting held in 2002, the three parties agreed on promoting sports exchange. Since 2004, they have conducted sports exchanges annually during the summer vacation season. The purpose of the program is to provide an opportunity for the youth in the three regions to experience international exchange, and to deepen mutual understanding and the bond among the three nations. During earlier events, the sport event was limited to male soccer; however, female’s basketball was added in 2007, and female and male table tennis were also added, expanding the number of participants and competitions.
According to the 2018 Project Report of the Kanagawa Prefecture Executive Committee, the Japanese high school participants provided the following feedback: “Although we didn’t understand each other’s languages, communication was possible with body languages” “The Chinese and Korean students were friendly, and we gained an understanding and interest towards their countries” “We realized that we are all high school students after all and that in sports, there are no borders or language barriers”
The 15th Sports Exchange Program (Source: Kanagawa Prefecture)
Events :
| No. | Date | Venue | Participating Athletes | Contents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Aug. 23-27, 2004 | Gyeonggi | 21 Liaoning, 24 Kanagawa, 20 Gyeonggi | Friendly soccer match, school visit, exchange program, etc. |
| 2nd | Aug. 25-29, 2005 | Liaoning | 23 Liaoning, 24 Kanagawa, 25 Gyeonggi | Friendly soccer match, school visit, exchange program, etc. |
| 3rd | Aug. 23-27, 2006 | Kanagawa | 27 Kanagawa, 24 Gyeonggi | Friendly soccer match, school visit, exchange program, etc |
| 4th | Aug. 24-28, 2007 | Gyeonggi | 42 Liaoning, 42 Kanagawa, 35 Gyeonggi | Friendly soccer (male) and basketball (female) match, school visit, exchange program |
| 5th | Aug. 25-29, 2008 | Liaoning | 45 Liaoning, 42 Kanagawa, 35 Gyeonggi | Friendly soccer (male) and basketball (female) match, school visit, exchange program |
| 6th | Aug. 24-28, 2009 | Kanagawa | 39 Kanagawa, 38 Gyeonggi | Friendly soccer (male) and basketball (female) match, school visit, exchange program |
| 7th | Aug. 23-27, 2010 | Gyeonggi | 33 Liaoning, 42 Kanagawa, 39 Gyeonggi | Friendly soccer (male) and basketball (female) match, school visit, exchange program |
| 8th | Aug. 22-26, 2011 | Liaoning | 37 Liaoning, 40 Kanagawa, 39 Gyeonggi | Friendly soccer (male) and basketball (female) match, school visit, exchange program |
| 9th | Aug. 27-31, 2012 | Kanagawa | 19 Liaoning (only female basketball), 37 Kanagawa, 39 Gyeonggi | Friendly soccer (male) and basketball (female) match, school visit, exchange program |
| 10th | Aug. 26-30, 2013 | Gyeonggi | 15 Liaoning (only female basketball), 41 Kanagawa, 49 Gyeonggi | Friendly soccer (male) and basketball (female) match, school visit, exchange program |
| 11th | Aug. 26-30, 2014 | Liaoning | 48 Liaoning, 47 Kanagawa, 45 Gyeonggi (only male soccer and female basketball) | Friendly soccer (male), basketball match (female), table tennis (female/male) match, school visit, exchange program |
| 12th | Aug. 24-28, 2015 | Kanagawa | 51 Liaoning, 46 Kanagawa, 54 Gyeonggi | Friendly soccer(male), basketball (female), table tennis (female/male) match, school visit, exchange program |
| 13th | Aug. 22-26, 2016 | Gyeonggi | 47 Liaoning, 50 Kanagawa, 50 Gyeonggi | Friendly soccer (male), basketball (female), table tennis (female/male)match, school visit, exchange program |
| 14th | Aug. 20-24, 2018 | Liaoning | 53 Liaoning, 49 Kanagawa, 51 Gyeonggi | Friendly soccer (male), basketball (female), table tennis (female/male) match, school visit, exchange program |
| 15th | Aug. 19-22, 2019 | Kanagawa | 10 Liaoning (only female/male) table tennis) and 45 Kanagawa | Friendly table tennis (female/male) Match |
| 16th | 2022 [tentative] |
Gyeonggi | TBD | TBD |
