The Governments of the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan (hereinafter jointly referred to as "the Sides")

Recognizing that since the launch of the China-ROK-Japan Cooperation in 1999, the common interests of the three countries have continuously grown, cooperation in various fields promoted, and dialogue mechanisms further broadened;

Noting that since there are 17 Ministerial Meetings as well as over 50 exchange and dialogue mechanisms among the three countries, it has become necessary to plan and coordinate the trilateral cooperation in various fields, so as to push it forward in the direction of efficient, regulated, orderly and institutionalized cooperation, based upon its decade development;

Desiring to establish a secretariat for the efficient promotion and management of the trilateral cooperative projects, as jointly decided at the third Trilateral Summit Meeting held in Jeju, the Republic of Korea, on May 29, 2010;

Have reached the following decisions:

1. The Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (hereinafter referred to as "the Secretariat") will be established in the Republic of Korea, in 2011. In this regard, the Sides will endeavor to expeditiously work out an agreement, upon the signing of this Memorandum.

2. The objective of the Secretariat is to contribute to the further promotion of cooperative relations among the Sides by providing support for the operation and management of the trilateral consultative mechanisms such as the Trilateral Summit Meeting, the Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Meeting, other Ministerial Meetings and the Trilateral Senior Foreign Affairs Officials' Consultation, etc. and by facilitating the exploration and implementation of cooperative projects.

3. In order to achieve the objectives referred to in paragraph 2, the Secretariat carries out functions and activities as follows:

(a) Provides administrative and technical support for the operation and management of consultative mechanisms among the three countries (hereinafter referred to as the "consultative mechanisms") including the Trilateral Summit Meeting, Ministerial Meetings, the Senior Foreign Affairs Officials' Consultation, etc., attends major trilateral meetings, and keeps contacts with the Sides, and if necessary, with other international organizations, particularly with other East Asian cooperation mechanisms;

(b) Explores and identifies potential cooperative projects among the Sides, and reports those projects to the relevant consultative mechanisms for adoption;

(c) Evaluates and drafts reports on the trilateral cooperative projects, compiles all documents into data base, and submits a progress report to the Three-Party Committee for approval;

(d) Conducts research on important issues related to the trilateral cooperation, manages the Secretariat's website, and promotes understanding of the trilateral cooperation.

4. The Secretariat will carry out functions and activities mandated by, and will be placed under the supervision of the Sides.

5. The Secretariat will be comprised of a Secretary-General, two Deputy Secretary-Generals and a few staff members.

(a) The Secretary General, appointed at the Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Meeting among three officials nominated by each Side, on the basis of rotational order of the Republic of Korea, Japan and the People's Republic of China, will represent the Secretariat.

(b) The nominees referred to in subparagraph (a) and not appointed as Secretary-General, will be appointed as Deputy Secretary-Generals at the Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

6. The Korean Side will be responsible for providing and arranging for the premises for the operation of the Secretariat. Administrative and management matters of the Secretariat including expenses incurred for its operation will be decided during the course of negotiations on the agreement with a spirit of cooperation among the three countries.

7. The working language of the Secretariat will be English.

Signed in Jeju, the Republic of Korea, on May 29, 2010, in three originals, in the English language.

Representative of the Government of the People's Republic of China

Representative of the Government of the Republic of Korea

Representative of the Government of Japan

Source: www.fmprc.gov.cn