Fujiya Koji, director general of the JICA's East and Central Asia and the Caucasus Department, gives a speech at the event. Photo: Yin Yeping/GT

China-Japan economic and technology cooperation will focus more on global issues, including environmental protection and elderly care, according to an international cooperation agency.

At a seminar focusing on the 40 years of China-Japan economic and technology cooperation in Beijing on Wednesday, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a governmental agency that coordinates Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the Japanese government, spoke with Chinese and Japanese experts on the possibilities of future cooperation between the two countries.

The JICA has been providing China with financial and technical support for 40 years, since 1979. According to a report released by the JICA on Wednesday, Japan provided 139.8 billion yen ($1.2 billion) in free aid to China from 1979 to 2018, 3,316.5 billion yen in paid aid, and 185.3 billion yen for technical cooperation.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made an announcement during his visit to China in October 2018, ending the launches of new ODA projects.

Projects which had already started are continuing, but all projects will be completed by March 2022, according to the JICA.

With the end of new ODA to China, the two countries will be able to carry out cultural exchanges and dialogue in the field of development and discuss relevant solutions for global issues, according to the latest report on the JICA's business in China, which was released at the seminar.

"In this new era, Japan and China should commence new and equal cooperation," Fujiya Koji, director general of the JICA's East and Central Asia and the Caucasus Department, told the Global Times on Wednesday. He added that areas such as environmental protection, aging populations, people-to-people connections, business law and corporate law would be included in the cooperation.

Experts at the seminar said that there is a possibility for broader cooperation between the two sides and that both sides are looking into this.

"Recently, China has wanted to learn from past experience in foreign aid, and Japan has that experience. A delegation from the China International Development Cooperation Agency will visit Japan next week to discuss cooperation with us further," Fujiya said.

Cai Liang, research fellow at the Center for Asia-Pacific Studies under the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, told the Global Times on Wednesday that ODA is based on aid, and it promotes investment and trade between China and Japan.

"China-Japan cooperation with the countries along the BRI has also begun to unfold, which is a new highlight of China-Japan cooperation and also a potential space for development," Cai said.