On the morning of June 9, 2025, Professor Chi Fulin, President of the China Institute for Reform and Development (CIRD), was invited to attend 2025 NEAR Korea-China-Japan Seoul Process—The Trump 2.0 Era and Its Impact on Northeast Asia, co-hosted by NEAR (North East Asia Research) Foundation and Korea Foundation (KF). Professor Chi delivered a keynote address during the opening plenary session.

Focusing on the theme “Trilateral Economic and Trade Cooperation Amidst Global Transformation,” Professor Chi addressed three major issues. First, free trade is a major option for trilateral cooperation. In the context of a shifting global geopolitical rivalry, cooperation among China, Japan, and Korea stands at a critical juncture of “falling behind if not moving forward.” Accelerating the process of free trade cooperation is a key measure, and achieving breakthroughs in the China-Japan-Korea Free Trade Agreement is a shared imperative. Second, China, Japan, and Korea play a leading role in RCEP regional cooperation. The three countries serve as a “ballast” in RCEP, are making new contributions to ASEAN cooperation under the RCEP framework, and have the condition to bridge certain high-standard rules between the CJK FTA and CPTPP. Third, China’s large domestic market is a key enabler for trilateral free trade. It offers substantial growth opportunities for Japan and Korea, while the opening-up of China’s services trade is unlocking new potential for cooperation. China’s unilateral opening-up also presents an important opportunity for Japan and Korea to better access the Chinese market.

Opening remarks were delivered by Duck Koo Chung, Founder and Chairman of NEAR Foundation and Former Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy of Korea. A welcoming speech was given by Ghee Hwan Kim, President of Korea Foundation. Over 70 distinguished guests from China, Japan, and Korea participated in the conference, including Tanaka Hitoshi, Former Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan and Special Advisor at the Japan Research Institute of International Strategy, and Byung Se Yun, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Korea and Chairman of Seoul International Law Academy. The conference featured in-depth discussions on topics such as “What are Trump 2.0’s security policies’ implications on East Asian security?” and “What impact would Trump's tariff war have on the three countries’ economies in Northeast Asia?”

The CIRD delegation included Yang Rui, Executive President of CIRD and President of RCEP Research Institute, CIRD; Zhang Fei, Vice President of CIRD; Liang Hui, Secretary-General of CIRD-GRANDALL Center of FTP Law Studies, Wang Yuehong and Jin Ye, Assistant Researcher of RCEP Research Institute, CIRD.