Stronger together: 25 years of knowledge production in Northeast Asia

Northeast Asia is a region deeply entangled in historical memories, territorial disputes, and ongoing geopolitical tensions. Since the late 1990s, China, Japan, and South Korea (CJK) have pursued a range of institutionalized regional initiatives, spanning trade, finance, climate, and demographic change under the broader framework of CJK+ “X” cooperation. Among these efforts, education and science have emerged as pivotal areas for trilateral collaboration. To understand the region’s evolving research collaboration patterns and identify pathways for future cooperation, this study focuses on CJK+ “knowledge production” using large-scale bibliometric data drawn from the Web of Science (2000–2024). We analyzed long-term trends and collaboration networks, with a particular focus on trilateral research linkages across disciplinary domains. Guided by the conceptual lens of knowledge diplomacy within a multiplex world, our findings show that expanding trilateral collaboration yields tangible benefits for all three countries across both STEM and AHSS disciplines. The study concludes that Northeast Asia holds significant potential to leverage knowledge diplomacy through institutionalized policies and academic practices to strengthen regional ties and promote constructive engagement in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.