The National Paralympic Committees of China, Japan, and Republic of Korea signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on June 12 to enhance cooperation in disability sports. The signing ceremony was held at the China Administration of Sports for Persons with Disabilities in Beijing.
Prior to the signing ceremony, Zhou Changkui, vice-chairman and chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF), held talks with delegations from the Japanese and South Korean Paralympic Committees. The event was presided over by You Liang, vice-chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the CDPF.
Zhou welcomed the visiting delegations and highlighted China's recent achievements in advancing disability cause, particularly in the development of disability sports. He noted that the three countries attach great importance to the advancement of disability sports and have successfully hosted the Paralympic Games, showcasing Asia's key role in promoting inclusive development and advancing the global Paralympic movement.
He also mentioned the longstanding and fruitful exchanges among the three countries in disability sports, which have fostered strong friendships and achieved remarkable outcomes. Notably, he said, sports for persons with disabilities were included for the first time in the agenda of the China-Japan-ROK Trilateral Sports Ministers' Meeting in 2024.
Zhou expressed the hope that the newly signed MoU would serve as a fresh starting point for deepening trilateral collaboration, enhancing people-to-people exchanges, improving the wellbeing of persons with disabilities, and contributing further to the global development of the Paralympic movement.
Kazuyuki Mori, president of the Japanese Paralympic Committee, and Jung Jin-owan, president of the South Korean Paralympic Committee, both echoed the view that the three countries share closely aligned visions for the growth of sports for persons with disabilities. They would like to further strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation to promote the Paralympic movement in Asia and globally, they added.
Senior officials from the CDPF's departments of international liaison and sports, and the China Administration of Sports for Persons with Disabilities also attended the event.