Development of Trilateral Cooperation The idea of a trilateral framework between China, Japan and the Republic of Korea has its roots in the breakfasts attended by the three leaders at the sidelines of the 1999
ASEAN+3 Summit in Manila. This meeting marked the first step for developing trilateral cooperation and its framework, with 1999 being celebrated as the first year of China-Japan-South Korea cooperation. The three countries continued to hold annual meetings at the ASEAN+3 Summit. After several years of negotiations, the three countries agreed at the 2007 ASEAN+3 Summit to hold separate stand-alone meetings in the future.
Foundation of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) Discussions of a stand-alone secretariat began in 2009 at the 2nd Trilateral Summit held in
Beijing, China. This was officially agreed upon by the three countries in May 2010 at the 3rd Trilateral Summit held in
Jeju, Republic of Korea, where the three leaders signed the Memorandum. Later in December 2010, the three governments signed the
Agreement on the Establishment of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, and the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat was finally established in Seoul, Republic of Korea in September 2011. == Organization ==