On February 15, 2025, the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) hosted the Young Ambassador Program (YAP) 2025 in Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. Secretary General Shi Zhongjun of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) was invited to attend the opening ceremony and spoke at the session of “Dialogue with Ambassador”.  Secretary General Lee Hee-sup of the TCS, former Japanese Ambassador to the United States, Fujisaki Ichiro, and former Korean Ambassador to India, Shin Bong-kil also attended the event. Young representatives of China, Japan, and South Korea from over 20 universities participated in the program.

Shi Zhongjun pointed out that, under the backdrop of global and East Asian landscape characterized with turbulences and uncertainties, the world is faced with numerous challenges such as regional conflicts, geopolitical competition, economic stagnation, and risks brought by technological revolutions. He emphasized that East Asian countries, including China, Japan, and Korea, should draw solutions from the Asian values and wisdom, always prioritizing development, making innovation the key driving force of growth, staying committed to multilateralism, and resolving differences through peaceful dialogue. Shi Zhongjun encouraged the youth to get a correct understanding and overview of the world, strengthen friendly exchanges and shoulder the responsibilities of their times. He urged the students to lead the role as guardians of friendship, ambassadors of culture, as well as the pioneers of innovation, so as to contribute to regional peace, stability, and development. Shi Zhongjun then interacted with the youth on topics like multilateralism, youth development, technological innovation. 

Shi Zhongjun met with Secretary General Lee Hee-sup of the TCS on the sidelines.  Both sides agreed to further enhance communication between ACC and TCS and explore more collaborative opportunities under the framework of ASEAN Plus Three cooperation.