Premier calls on firms to bolster cooperation in various fields, in meeting with business leaders
Premier Li Qiang meets on Jan 25, 2024 with a delegation of Japanese business leaders in Beijing. (FENG YONGBIN / CHINA DAILY)
Premier Li Qiang called on Jan 25 for joint efforts from both China and Japan to uphold the principles of peace, friendship, and cooperation to bring bilateral ties back on track for healthy and stable development.
During a meeting in Beijing with a delegation of Japanese business leaders, comprising more than 200 executives from major Japanese companies, Li said China-Japan relations are currently at a crucial juncture.
The premier said that China and Japan should translate the political consensus that “the two countries are cooperative partners, not a threat to each other” into specific policies and concrete actions.
He also urged the Japanese side to properly handle the historical issues and the Taiwan question.
The delegation, led by Chairman of the Japan Business Federation Tokura Masakazu, Chairman of the Japan-China Economic Association Shindo Kosei, and Chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kobayashi Ken, was in Beijing on a four-day visit to China that began on Jan 23.
During the meeting, Li emphasized the need to strengthen economic and trade cooperation between China and Japan and jointly safeguard stable and unimpeded industrial and supply chains.
He said that the Chinese and Japanese economies are deeply integrated, playing a crucial role as the “ballast” and “propeller” in bilateral relations.
China is willing to tap into cooperation potential with Japan, share development opportunities, and support companies from both countries in strengthening cooperation in the fields of technological innovation, digital economy, green development, healthcare, and elderly care to achieve higher-level mutual benefit, the premier said.
Li expressed his hope that the Japanese business community will exert a positive influence on the countries’ win-win cooperation.
He assured the Japanese business leaders that China will continue to uphold the policy of opening-up, further shorten the negative list for foreign investment, and fully implement the removal of all the restrictions on foreign investment in the manufacturing sector.
While ensuring national treatment for foreign-funded enterprises, China strives to build a world-class business environment that is market-oriented and governed by a sound legal framework, Li said.
China welcomes Japanese companies to continue investing in the country, he said. It is hoped that Tokyo will provide an open, fair, and nondiscriminatory business environment for Chinese companies in Japan, he added.
Sino-Japanese relations had become strained over the past few years. However, during a meeting last November in San Francisco, President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reaffirmed a goal to jointly build a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship that meets the demands of the new era.
Observers said the Japanese delegation’s visit to China has sent positive signals about economic and political aspects of bilateral ties, and reflected the desire of the Japanese business community to maintain dialogue and communication with China to seek opportunities for cooperation.
The leaders of the three Japanese business organizations told Li that they look forward to both countries building a constructive and stable Japan-China relationship based on mutual benefit.
They expressed their willingness to deepen exchanges and cooperation with China in multiple areas and jointly promote regional economic cooperation.
