President Yoon Suk Yeol hold hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, fourth from right, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, second from right, during the 27th ASEAN Plus Three Summit held at the National Convention Center in Vientiane, Laos, Thursday. From left are Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, President Yoon, Ishiba, Laotian Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Li and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Yonhap

VIENTIANE, Laos — The trilateral cooperative mechanism among Korea, Japan, China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has gained renewed momentum for further growth, as all three East Asian countries have now established comprehensive strategic partnerships (CSP) with the ASEAN bloc.

"Korea today declared the CSP with ASEAN. As a result, all three countries — Korea, Japan and China — have completed their highest level of partnership with ASEAN. Strengthening the cooperation among Korea, Japan and China in a vicious cyclical structure with the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) presents an opportunity to elevate the APT framework," Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said during the 27th APT meeting held at the National Convention Center in Vientiane, Laos, Thursday afternoon.

The positive atmosphere surrounding trilateral cooperation has recently become evident, fueled by the momentum generated from a Korea-Japan-China trilateral summit held in Seoul in May, marking the first meeting of its kind in over four years.

Aligning with the theme of this year's ASEAN Summit, "ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience," Korea proposed three key initiatives during the annual trilateral meeting to enhance connectivity within the region.

First, it advocated for institutional connectivity by reforming the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization, a regional financial safety net amounting to $240 billion to facilitate multilateral currency swaps between requesting countries and supporting countries in times of need, as well as increasing contributions to the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve, thus reinforcing financial and food security in the region.

Second, Korea pledged to boost future-oriented businesses in the ASEAN member countries by supporting the establishment of an electric vehicle hub in the region, while promoting smart city and mobility projects.

Lastly, Korea emphasized the importance of people-to-people connectivity, proposing the expansion of the CAMPUS Asia program, a student exchange support program among universities in Korea, Japan and China launched in 2011, among others.

These efforts reflect a broader trend of deepening collaboration between ASEAN and the three East Asian nations. The APT Cooperation process began in December 1997 and has since evolved as the main vehicle to promote East Asian cooperation towards the long-term goal of building an East Asian community, with ASEAN as the driving force.