A news report from GLOBAL TIMES ONLINE: 

Youth representatives from China, Japan and South Korea had lively discussions 
and enjoyed riveting cultural experience activities via online and offline 
means at an exchange event jointly held by China Public Diplomacy Association 
(CPDA), the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS), and the Information 
Office of Hubei Provincial People's Government in Wuhan, capital of central 
China's Hubei province, on August 23.

The event with the theme of "Gen Zers join hands to move toward a shared 
future" included activities centered on three subjects, namely traditional 
cultures of China, Japan and South Korea, historical ties between the three 
close neighbors, and how the Gen Zers of the three countries can play a better 
role in promoting cooperation among and development of the three countries in 
the new era.

The event brought together more than 100 participants from the three countries, 
including youth representatives, government officials, diplomats, and 
journalists.

Wu Hailong, President of the CPDA, Erkenjiang Tulahong, Vice Chairman of the 
Hubei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative 
Conference, Ou Boqian, Secretary-General of the TCS, Japanese Ambassador to 
China Hideo Tarumi, South Korean Ambassador to China Chung Jae-ho, and Liu 
Jinsong, Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China (PRC), attended and delivered 
speeches at the opening ceremony of the event.       

In a friendly and animated atmosphere, 18 youth representatives from the three 
countries exchanged views on topics including language, movie and television 
culture, cuisine, tea culture, e-sports, and street dance.

Youth representatives also gained hands-on experience of Hubei's intangible 
cultural heritage, including tea ceremony, pottery, dough modeling, and 
embroidery, marveling at the unique charm of the profound historical and 
cultural deposits of Hubei province.

Cultural performances were also staged during the event, with such shows as the 
popular song Lonely Warrior performed in the languages of the three countries, 
a fashion show featuring Hubei's intangible cultural heritage, and a creative 
show integrating Chinese martial arts and street dance, winning thunderous 
applause.

"This is my first time taking part in such an exchange activity. It's really a 
precious opportunity for me. I tried dough modeling for the first time at the 
event," said a South Korean student at Huazhong University of Science and 
Technology.

Impressed by the performance of Lonely Warrior, Zhang Yu'an, a Chinese TV 
personality working in South Korea, believes that music links the hearts of 
young people in the three countries.

"The contagious smiles on the faces of the children from China, Japan and South 
Korea, the determination in their eyes, as well as their energetic moves all 
showed us that the future of the world lies in the hands of young people," 
Zhang said.

"Yichang city, where I live now, and my hometown Gyeongju are sister cities. I 
hope the two cities will carry out interactions and exchanges more frequently," 
said a South Korean blogger working in Yichang, Hubei province.

Exchanges between the youth has always been a key area of cooperation among 
China, Japan and South Korea. However, such exchanges have been seriously 
affected by the protracted COVID-19 pandemic during the past two and a half 
years.

The youth exchange activity held in Wuhan, therefore, attracted wide attention 
and won high praise from participants. It's believed that the exchange activity 
has sounded the clarion call for people-to-people and cultural exchanges among 
the three countries in the post-pandemic era. 

The event offered a precious opportunity for participants to gain a better 
understanding of different cultures, said Hideo Tarumi, who hopes that the 
event would usher in more exchanges and closer cooperation among the three 
countries.

Young people are the masters of the future, and the exchange activity has 
served as an important opportunity and borne great significance for exchanges 
and cooperation among young people in the three countries, according to Chung 
Jae-ho.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic 
relations between China and Japan and the 30th anniversary of the establishment 
of diplomatic ties between China and South Korea, pointed out Wu Hailong, 
noting that the three countries should take the anniversaries as an opportunity 
to intensify their exchanges in various industries, especially the cultural 
sector, and ramp up efforts to bring their people closer to each other.

As digital natives, young people, Gen Zers in particular, play an irreplaceable 
role in promoting people-to-people exchanges and people's perceptions, said 
Erkenjiang Tulahong.

Cultural interactions and integration have enabled the three countries to shape 
shared cultural values of East Asia, which is the cultural foundation of 
cooperation among them, said Ou Boqian, adding that cultural exchanges among 
young people can further tighten the cultural bond among the three countries.

SOURCE:GLOBAL TIMES ONLINE