latest news

Japanese economic groups have recently signaled plans to visit China, Japanese media outlets reported. A Chinese expert told the Global Times that economic cooperation relies on political trust, urging Japan to address the root causes of bilateral tensions and demonstrate sincerity in improving ties to create conditions for China-Japan economic and trade cooperation to return to a normal track.

Kyodo News reported that Masayoshi Matsumoto, chairperson of the Kansai Economic Federation, said on Tuesday that the federation is arranging a business delegation visit to Beijing and other Chinese cities from October 18 to 23.

The delegation is expected to include senior representatives from the Kansai Association of Corporate Executives, Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Kobe Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with about 80 members, according to media reports.

Kyodo News also reported that the Japan-China Trade Promotion Association, a key channel for Japan-China economic exchanges, is preparing a delegation visit to China in late September. 

Japanese media noted that China-Japan relations have deteriorated after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks regarding China's Taiwan last November, with not only official dialogue but also economic and cultural exchanges being affected. 

"There are currently about 36,000 Japanese companies operating in China, making the country an irreplaceable business hub for Japan globally," Osamu Onodera, chief representative for China and Northeast Asia of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), told the Global Times. He said that JETRO's annual surveys show that 85 percent of Japanese companies in China plan to maintain or expand their operations, indicating that their commitment to the Chinese market remains largely unchanged.

Onodera said that Japanese business groups have reached a consensus that continued exchanges with China are necessary amid the current challenges in bilateral relations. 

Lü Chao, dean of the Institute of US and East Asian Studies at Liaoning University, told the Global Times that the recent signals from Japanese economic organizations seeking visits to China show their recognition of the importance of the Chinese market and bilateral economic cooperation. 

However, Lü stressed that the key issue is not simply whether Japanese economic groups visit China, but whether they can demonstrate genuine sincerity. "If they only come to China to discuss exchanges and cooperation while refusing to face the fundamental causes behind the deterioration of bilateral relations, such visits will be difficult to produce substantive results," he said.

He further explained that economic cooperation requires political mutual trust as its foundation. "It is impossible to enjoy the benefits brought by the Chinese market while treating China as an opponent politically," he said. "If Japan does not change its hostile policy direction toward China, bilateral political relations will only continue to deteriorate, which will inevitably affect economic cooperation."

Lü said that China-Japan economic and trade cooperation still has a solid practical foundation, but it requires a stable political environment and mutual respect from both sides. "Only when Japan demonstrates a willingness to improve bilateral relations at the political level can China-Japan economic cooperation return to a stable development track," he said.

China continues to expand high-standard opening-up, foster a first-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized, and engage in mutually beneficial economic and trade exchanges and cooperation with all countries to share development opportunities, a spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry said on June 25 in response to a media question about reports that representatives of the Japanese business community have been visiting China one after another. 

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made erroneous remarks on Taiwan, which have severely undermined the political foundation of China-Japan relations and had a serious negative impact on bilateral economic and trade cooperation, the spokesperson said. 

"It is hoped that the Japanese business community, in its own interest, will urge the Japanese government to seriously reflect on and correct its mistakes, thereby creating conditions for the return of bilateral economic and trade cooperation to the track of sound development," the spokesperson said.