CIIE Will Help Further Bolster China-Japan Economic Ties Release date:2018-02-19

In recent years, world trade has been growing at a slower pace than global GDP, a phenomenon referred to as slow trade. In some countries, support for policies that go against globalization is increasing. How to maintain and develop free trade system and promote trade has become a globally important issue.

Against such a backdrop, we believe the holding of China International Import Expo has great significance as China contributes to more than 30 percent of world economic growth, ranks number two by trade value, only behind the US, is set to overtake the US to become the world’s market, and seeks to expand imports and provide opportunities and open platforms to countries around the world.

As China’s neighboring country, Japan has China as its largest trading partner, accounting for one-fifth of Japan’s total trade value. China was Japan’s biggest export market between 2009 and 2012. It has been Japan’s second-biggest export market since 2013, after the US, and remains a key market. Though Japan ran a trade surplus with China last year, sadly, Japan's exports to China have declined slightly after peaking in 2011.

We hope that the holding of China International Import Expo will provide an opportunity for Japan to boost exports to China.

For China, which has entered a new era, it is important to deepen supply-side structural reforms, develop higher quality industries, help its citizens become happier and feel safer, and increase the imports of advanced, environmentally friendly, secure, user-friendly and excellent products, technologies, designs and services from countries around the world. We believe China International Import Expo will play an important role in this aspect.

Last year, as many as 7.36 million Chinese citizens visited Japan. Japan is famous for its "artisan spirit" and "hospitality", while there are many such products and services that Chinese consumers are not familiar with. So, we want more Chinese audiences to learn more about our products through this import expo. JETRO has 45 branch offices in Japan and we would also like to introduce more good local products in Japan.

JETRO is a government agency that promotes Japan's trade and investment. We help Japanese SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) to expand in overseas markets. In China, we organized the Japanese pavilion during the Shanghai World Expo 2010 and we have arranged for Japanese companies to exhibit at the China International Industry Fair in Shanghai for many years. We also hope that we can provide Japanese SMEs with business opportunities in China through the import expo.

We, JETRO, are officially the only organizing group that has been recommended by the Japanese government, are now communicating with the China International Import Expo Bureau will do our best to organize Japanese enterprises wanting to participate in the expo.