Photo: IC

The Chinese and Japanese business communities held a dialogue in Tokyo on Monday, aiming to support cooperation between businesses in the two countries and to push bilateral economic and trade cooperation to a new stage, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The dialogue came less than two weeks after a huge Japanese business delegation of about 200 corporate representatives visited China last month, the first of its kind in four years, highlighting growing interest among businesses to boost cooperation with China despite souring diplomatic ties.

The dialogue in Tokyo on Monday was organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the Japan-China Economic Association and was attended by more than 100 representatives from the business community, Xinhua reported.

Ren Hongbin, chairman of the CCPIT, said that China will unswervingly expand high-level opening-up to the outside world, continue to create a market-oriented, law-based and world class business environment, and welcome Japanese companies to continue expanding investment in China.

"This delegation of Chinese entrepreneurs is visiting Japan with great expectations to strengthen practical cooperation with the Japanese business community," Ren said, adding that the CCPIT will promote the construction of mutually beneficial and win-win industrial supply chains and China-Japan economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people bonds through the 2nd China International Supply Chain Expo and World Expo in Osaka.

On Friday, the China Pavilion at Expo Osaka broke ground, marking the commencement of construction for the venue, which is set to highlight China's green development, according to Xinhua.

At the dialogue in Tokyo, representatives of Japanese businesses including Nomura Holdings, Marubeni, and Hanwa Industrial said they stand ready to deepen institutional cooperation with the CCPIT to promote trade and investment cooperation between the two countries, and contribute to practical cooperation between Japan and China, according to Xinhua.

On January 23, a Japanese business delegation paid a multi-day visit to China, during which various Chinese officials met with them. Kosei Shindo, head of the Japan-China Economic Association, who led the delegation, said that during the trip, the Chinese and Japanese sides affirmed their position on "providing an opportunity for both sides to return to the original aspiration and think about bilateral economic exchanges."

Global Times