On 26 September 2025, the 21st Meeting among Secretaries General of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC) and ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC) was held in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Kunihiko Hirabayashi, Secretary General of the AJC. Ambassador Shi Zhongjun, Secretary General of the ACC, and Ambassador Kim Jae-shin, Secretary General of the AKC attended the meeting, alongside relevant department heads from the three Centres.

Shi Zhongjun stated that Sakai City shares a long-standing and profound history of friendship with China and Korea, which serves as a vivid illustration of the close people-to-people ties in East Asia. The city’s culture of openness, innovation and cooperation embodies the spirit of East Asian collaboration, which is particularly valuable amid the current complex and volatile international landscape. In the 26th ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held last July, ministers once again commended the efforts of the three Centres in promoting regional trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges and called for enhanced linkages and cooperation for the building of a regional community. He added that ASENA-China relations are developing with positive momentum, with practical cooperation deepening across various fields. The two sides will jointly commemorate the 5th anniversary of the establishment of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the 15th anniversary of the founding of ACC next year. In this connection, the ACC stands ready to continue serving its bridging role, not only in deepening ASEAN-China relations but also in actively engaging with the APT framework, pooling strengths and moving forward hand in hand to create a better future for the countries and peoples of the region.

Kunihiko Hirabayashi said that the economic and social environment across East Asia and the wider world is undergoing rapid evolution, with ASEAN’s strategic role as a connector between developed economies and the Global South becoming increasingly prominent. Aligned with the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, the AJC is committed to advancing regional development and cooperation characterized with “People-centeredness”. It aims to fully leverage the strengths of Japan in areas such as high-quality infrastructure and human resource development, complement the advantages of ACC and AKC with the spirit of “co-creation”, and jointly explore pathways for cooperation that promote the stability, peace, and inclusive growth in Asia.

Kim Jae-shin spoke highly of the positive energy injected into APT cooperation by the close interactions among the three Centres and applauded the broad prospects for tripartite cooperation, given that China, Japan, and the ROK have each established Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN. The AKC is dedicated to enhancing the resilience and inclusive growth of the region, with a focus on areas such as digital transformation, sustainable development, youth, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). And it welcomes exchanges with the ACC and AJC in exploring cooperation in such fields. As the AKC is set to assume the rotating chairmanship for the Tripartite Meeting next year, SG Kim proposed that the three Centres jointly organize an APT youth-themed event, encouraging young people in the region to propose innovative solutions on topics like sustainable development, the digital economy, and people-to-people exchanges, and thereby injecting youth dynamics into East Asian cooperation and friendship.

The Meeting witnessed the three Centers reviewing their achievements in 2024 and outlining key initiates for 2025, sharing experiences in promoting economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges with ASEAN.

Before and after the meeting, participants met collectively with the Mayor of Sakai City and visited historical and cultural sites such as the Sakai City Museum, experiencing the profound historical ties and close people-to-people bonds within the East Asian region.