The Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue (NEACD) is a unique multilateral “track II” forum involving foreign ministry officials, defense ministry officials, military officers, and academics from China, Russia, North and South Korea, Japan, and the United States. NEACD keeps vital lines of communication open in Northeast Asia by providing regularly scheduled meetings in an informal setting, allowing participants to candidly discuss issues of regional security and cooperation. NEACD requires that officials participate in their personal capacity, not as representatives for their governments, and that all discussions be kept off-the-record, rules that permit brainstorming and frank discussion of divergent views. The mixture of government officials and scholars contributes to the free-wheeling style of discussion. The third dialogue included participants from China, Russia, U.S.A., South Korea, and Japan, and covered topics ranging from national perspectives on security, principles governing state-to-state relations, regional economic cooperation in agricultural production and trade, military perspectives on security, first-step mutual reassurance measures, and study projects.