Photo: IC

As politicians consider how international relations between China, Japan and South Korea will develop, young people from the three countries have been establishing closer relationships through various cultural exchanges.

These young people follow the same idols, watch the same films and TV dramas, play the same games and have similar tastes in food. Gradually, they have come to know each other better and even have started supporting each other when one of them falls on hard times, such as the current outbreak of COVID-19.

Since the coronavirus began to spread in China, Japan has taken the initiative to donate protective equipment to China, a move that has touched many. A video of a Japanese girl dressed in a red traditional Chinese cheongsam bowing to people passing by as she holds a donation box to raise money to support China in its fight against the virus has touched many Chinese netizens.

After the deadly novel coronavirus started to threaten Japan, the Chinese government also adopted a supportive attitude when it came to sharing information and experience, and offering assistance to Japan. 

A video of Chinese distributing masks to passers-by on the street in Tokyo with a banner that read "a reward from Wuhan" has gone viral on Chinese social media. Many Chinese netizens commented that love does not have borders.

According to reports, as of Wednesday noon, there have been 78,064 confirmed cases of the virus in China, while Japan has 862 and South Korea 1,261. The data shows that the epidemic in South Korea is growing increasingly severe, which has also made many Chinese fans begin to worry about the health of their South Korean idols.

For example, many Chinese fans have criticized the entertainment companies of Blackpink and SuperM for having these bands hold concerts in Japan and Paris, thus jeopardizing these idols' health. The "selfish" behavior has also enraged many fans in South Korea.

Young people are the future of any country. What these young people think about each other and how they get along with each other in the future will have a direct impact on how the relationship between China, Japan and South Korea continues to evolve.