Veteran diplomat and ambassador Yang Houlan attended an event in Seoul on Thursday as the next Secretary-General of the China-Japan-Republic of Korea Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat(TCS).

Established in September, 2011, the TCS has been led by ambassador Shin Bong-kil from Seoul and ambassador Shigeo Iwatani from Tokyo.

Yang will assume his new position on Sept 1 as the first TCS head proposed by China.

Before his last post as Chinese ambassador to Myanmar, Yang had ben deeply immersed in ROK affairs as he once worked at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul in 2000-2006.

At a dinner reception hosted by the TCS in Seoul, Yang said he was glad to return to the ROK after a decade in his new capacity, and he extended his gratitude to his two predecessors for their work.

"Since this year, with the joint efforts of all parties, the China-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation has gradually gone back on track and is faced with new opportunities for development," Yang said.

The diplomat said he is ready to work along with the deputy secretary generals from Japan and the ROK, lead the TCS, fully support trilateral cooperation in various fields and contribute to ensuring peace and prosperity in the East Asia region.

Concerning the mission of the TCS in the past two years, Iwatani said trilateral cooperation has maintained its development momentum in spite of challenges and the TCS has played an important role.