Shanghai (China), Nagasaki (Japan), and Busan (Korea) are similar in that they have harbors that serve as gateways to each country.
The three regions formed a triangle, when Shanghai and Busan became sister/friendship cities in 1993, Shanghai and Nagasaki became friendship cities in 1996, and Nagasaki and Busan signed a friendship exchange agreement in 2014.
Since the formation of the trilateral relationship, the three regions have held working-level (Director) meetings. At the 3rd working-level meeting held in Busan in 2017, an agreement to hold the Youth Go (board game) Exchange Tournament was made, following a suggestion from Nagasaki. As a result, the first Youth Go Exchange Tournament was held in Shanghai in January 2018, and then held in the three cities on a rotation basis.
Busan also continues interactions with partner cities of the CCEA 2018, Harbin and Kanazawa.
- Since 2015: Trilateral Working-Level Meeting
- The Trilateral Working-Level (Director) Meeting began when Nagasaki made a suggestion at a working-level meeting between Nagasaki and Busan in May 2014. Ever since the first meeting held in Shanghai in 2015, the three-day meeting is held around June to August every year on a rotational basis. The meeting reviews ongoing programs and discusses desirable future programs.
Past Meetings :
| Event No. | Year | Location | Agenda |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2015 | Shanghai | Measures to Expand Bilateral Youth Exchange Programs to Trilateral Programs |
| 2nd | 2016 | Nagasaki | Measures on Tourism Exchange: Mutually Linking Websites, Information Sharing, Attracting Cruise Ship Tourists, etc. |
| 3rd | 2017 | Busan | Trilateral Youth Go Exchange Tournament and Exchanges on Welfare Issues |
| 4th | 2018 | Shanghai | Exchange Programs on Welfare Programs for Seniors, City Marketing, and Protecting Cultural Assets |
| 5th | 2020 | Nagasaki (held online) |
Discussion of future plans for existing exchange projects and proposals for new projects |
| 6th | 2022 [tentative] |
Busan | TBD |
The 5th Trilateral Working-Level Meeting (Source: Busan Metropolitan City)
- Since 2018: Implementation of Trilateral Youth Go Exchange Tournament on a rotational basis
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The purpose of this tournament is to expand exchanges among the three friendship cities, as well as to improve the level of the participants’ Go skills, broaden their international perspectives, and to promote mutual understanding of the history and culture of the three countries. The 3rd Go Exchange Tournament in 2021 was held non-face-to-face due to COVID-19, and participants consisting of a total of four teams (one team in Shanghai, one team in Nagasaki, two teams in Busan) participated in a 5-on-5 team competition, and three matches were played as tournament between two cities.
Trilateral exchange through Go exchange among the three cities/regions also exist in Yangzhou (C) – Karatsu (J) – Yeosu (K) and Suzhou (C) – Kanazawa (J) – Jeonju (K) triangles. However, what makes the Shanghai – Nagasaki – Busan Go exchange special, is the age range of the participants. Young participants from elementary to high school students engage in the program. The unique characteristics of the game of Go are: 1) Go is a common culture among the three countries, 2) no language barrier exists as the same rule is applied. Therefore, although the host prepares interpreters, participants are able to play the game and communicate with each other without a common language or interpreters.
Past Events :
| Event No. | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | January 2018 | Shanghai |
| 2nd | January 2019 | Nagasaki |
| 3rd | April 2021 | Busan(held online) |
| 4rd | 2022[tentative] | Shanghai |
The 3th Trilateral Youth Go Exchange Tournament (Source: Busan Metropolitan City)
