The performers stage a traditional South Korean dance. [Photo by Hu Qing/asianewsphoto.com]

The 7th China-Japan-South Korea Ministerial Conference on Culture

The 7th China-Japan-South Korea Ministerial Conference on Culture was held in Qingdao on Dec 20, 2015. During the conference, Ningbo was announced as the 2016 Culture City of East Asia, together with South Korea's Jeju and Japan's Nara. The three cities will serve as the principal venues for a series of cultural and arts exchange programs in 2016 to promote a mutual understanding among the three neighbors. During the conference, representatives from these three countries signed and issued "China-Japan-South Korea Ministerial Conference - Qingdao Action Plan (2015-2017)" to strengthen communication and cooperation in various fields between China, Japan and South Korea.

China, Japan and South Korea launched the trilateral minister-level culture summits in 2007, and the Culture City of East Asia program was first proposed during the third ministerial conference in 2011. Its aims at promoting unity amid cultural diversity allow the three countries to foster mutual understanding.