INSTITUTION VISITS

OVERVIEW

The 2024 Sino-Japan Entrepreneurs Summit was successfully held in Japan from June 24 to 28, 2024. Led by Mr. Long Yongtu, former Vice Minister of China’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and China’s Chief Negotiator for WTO accession, a Chinese delegation of over 70 representatives from institutions and renowned enterprises conducted a five-day business visit to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka.

With the theme "Forging a New Blueprint for Cooperation, Ushering in a New Era of Prosperity," the summit featured one main forum, four thematic seminars, four corporate visits, and a series of cultural exchange activities. The event significantly deepened mutual learning and understanding between Chinese and Japanese entrepreneurs and promoted win-win cooperation in key areas such as new energy, healthcare, finance, and technological innovation, laying a solid foundation for shared prosperity in the future.

Economic Connectivity: The Main Forum

On June 25, nearly 200 influential figures from the political, business, and academic sectors of both China and Japan gathered in Tokyo for the highly anticipated 2024 Sino-Japan Entrepreneurs Summit. The summit was hosted by the China International Entrepreneurs Association, co-hosted by the Qingdao Municipal Government, and co-organized by the Japan-China Investment Promotion Organization, with strong support from institutions such as MUFG Bank, ORIX China, DIAL SERVICE, the Japan Beijing Chamber of Commerce, X Star, among others.

Held under the theme "Forging a New Blueprint for Cooperation, Ushering in a New Era of Prosperity," the summit aimed to promote mutual trust, knowledge exchange, and business collaboration between Chinese and Japanese enterprises, stimulate new productive forces, and contribute to high-quality economic development.

At the opening ceremony, Mr. Long Yongtu, former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, Minister-Counselor Luo Xiaomei, and Ms. Zhang Hui, Deputy Party Secretary of Qingdao, delivered keynote speeches.

As the chief negotiator for China’s accession to the WTO, Mr. Long Yongtu highlighted the importance and potential of Sino-Japan economic cooperation, expressing confidence in China's transformation towards high-quality growth, which he attributed to five key driving factors. He also recalled Japan’s active support during China’s WTO negotiations and its contribution to the Boao Forum for Asia, recognizing these moments as milestones of Sino-Japanese goodwill. Looking ahead, Mr. Long called for joint efforts to seize new development opportunities and to continue propelling bilateral relations forward.

Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, a long-standing friend of the Chinese people, made significant contributions to the development of Sino-Japan relations during his time in office. He emphasized the importance of establishing a complementary and positive cooperative relationship between China and Japan.

Hatoyama noted that the two countries share many cultural values, particularly the philosophy of “harmony is most precious” and the vision of building world peace through friendship and mutual respect. He expressed strong confidence in the future of Sino-Japan cooperation, stating that the Entrepreneurs Summit came at the right moment and would play a key role in advancing mutually beneficial collaboration between the two nations.

Minister Counselor Luo Xiaomei emphasized the importance and complementarity of Sino-Japan economic and trade cooperation during the Entrepreneurs Summit. She expressed respect and gratitude to entrepreneurs from both countries for their contributions to the development of bilateral relations.

In light of current global economic challenges, Minister Luo called on Chinese and Japanese enterprises to strengthen collaboration.

Ms. Zhang Hui, Deputy Party Secretary of Qingdao, highlighted the city’s unique strengths as a major coastal hub in China during her speech. These include its open economic environment, strong industrial base, prominent role as a transportation hub, abundant innovation resources, and high quality of life.

She expressed a clear vision to deepen cooperation between Qingdao and Japan in key areas such as advanced manufacturing, commerce and trade, finance, healthcare and elderly care, as well as cultural tourism.

Mr. Okafuji Takashi, representing the Japan-China Investment Promotion Organization, delivered a speech expressing his respect for the attendees. He introduced the background and objectives of the organization, emphasizing the importance of deepening exchanges and cooperation between entrepreneurs from both China and Japan. Mr. Okafuji expressed his hope that the summit would promote economic cooperation between the two countries and contribute to their shared prosperity and long-term development.

Additionally, the summit invited several prominent guests to deliver keynote speeches, including Mr. Kondo Akio, a member of the Japanese House of Representatives, Ms. Konno Yuri, President of DIAL SERVICE Co., Ltd., Mr. Iizumi Yoshikado, the 13th President of the National Governors' Association, and Mr. Zhao Bingdi, Vice President of Panasonic Electric China North East Asia Company. Their speeches provided new perspectives and insights for the attendees.

The opening ceremony was hosted by Ms. Zhang Wei, Secretary-General of the China Foreign Entrepreneurs Association, who extended a warm welcome and sincere gratitude to all the attendees on behalf of the event organizers.

Industry Connectivity: Four Thematic Seminars

1. Medical and Health Industry Theme

During the dialogue, the distinguished guests shared the business scope of their respective companies, key areas of focus for cooperation, and engaged in in-depth discussions on the opportunities and challenges for Sino-Japanese cooperation in the medical and healthcare sectors.

Mr. Endo Takuma introduced Changsheng Holdings' business in the elderly care service field and shared the elderly care project they are collaborating on with Xinhua Jin Group in Qingdao, China.
Mr. Katada Tomoki from GFA Corporation expressed the company's desire for cooperation in finance and IT services with the Chinese market.
Ms. Guo Meiling discussed the business scale of Mianian Health Group, China’s largest health check-up group, and expressed interest in collaborating with Japan in the health management sector.
Ms. Liu Huining presented the progress made by HengSai Biotech in dendritic cell therapy research and shared her vision of expanding into the Japanese market.
Mr. Chang Donglai shared the innovative practices of Beijing Eagle Eye Smart Health Technology Co., Ltd. in the field of intelligent traditional Chinese medicine.

Additionally, the discussion also covered Japan’s advanced concepts in care services, such as supported self-care nursing models, as well as applications in digital healthcare and health management. The guests unanimously agreed that despite cultural differences and institutional challenges, the potential for cooperation between China and Japan in the medical and health sectors is immense, with promising prospects for future development.

2. Financial Investment Theme

On the afternoon of June 25, the financial session of the Sino-Japan Entrepreneurs Summit was successfully held, providing an in-depth exchange platform for financial experts and entrepreneurs from both China and Japan. This session aimed to explore new models, opportunities, and challenges of financial cooperation, emphasizing the importance of finance as a key link in promoting Sino-Japanese economic and trade cooperation. The discussions covered several key topics:

1. Yen Exchange Rate and Japan’s Special Zone Policies
Both China and Japan presented their current concerns regarding the yen exchange rate trends and the latest developments and implementation effects of Japan’s special zone policies. These policies have played a positive role in promoting economic development and attracting foreign investment.

2. Financial Support for High-Quality Development of the Real Economy
The session focused on strategies for how finance can support the high-quality development of the real economy. Both sides discussed the role of finance in various industries, highlighting the importance of diversified financial channels and how financial tools can promote industrial upgrading and innovation.

3. Sino-Japanese Cooperation and Exchange
Both sides agreed that there is a high demand for cooperation and exchange in the financial sector between China and Japan. To better serve the market, they discussed specific measures to improve service quality and efficiency through strategic model transformations.

The session was hosted by Du Rong, the representative and managing partner of Sima Capital Japan. Senior representatives from China International Capital Corporation Japan, Orix (China) Industrial Holdings Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, Yinshengtai Group, Yixin Group, Bangkok Bank, and Chuanyao Family Office participated in the discussion. This session laid a solid foundation for further cooperation between China and Japan in the financial sector and provided new ideas and directions for deeper collaboration in more fields in the future.

3. New Energy Cooperation Theme

On the afternoon of June 25, the new energy session titled “New Energy Innovation and Cooperation - Exploring New Opportunities for Sino-Japanese Green Energy Development” was successfully held at the 16th-floor conference room of the New Otani Hotel. The session was hosted by Zhang Wei, Secretary General of the Sino-Foreign Entrepreneurs Union, and attended by 20 distinguished guests.

The discussions focused on topics such as the development trends of new energy technologies, the comparative policies on new energy between China and Japan, cooperation opportunities in the new energy market, and the role of green finance in the new energy sector.

The attendees unanimously agreed that there is substantial room for cooperation between China and Japan in the field of new energy, especially in areas such as hydrogen energy. Japanese representatives noted that although the paths chosen by China and Japan in the field of new energy vehicles differ, both countries share the same goal of achieving energy-saving and emission-reduction objectives. Participants proposed that combining Japan’s innovative technologies with China’s product and supply chain advantages, while jointly developing overseas markets, would form a mutually beneficial cooperation model.

4. Science and Technology Innovation Theme

On June 26, the Sino-Japan Entrepreneurs Summit's Science and Technology Innovation Symposium was successfully held at Waseda University. This event brought together distinguished entrepreneurs, scholars, and industry leaders from both China and Japan to explore and discuss new opportunities and future directions for cooperation in science and technology innovation and education.

Mr. Long Yongtu, the chief representative for China’s WTO accession negotiations and co-chair of the Sino-Foreign Entrepreneurs Union, along with Professor Kiyohide Higuchi from the International Academic Institute at Waseda University, engaged in in-depth discussions about Sino-Japanese cooperation in education and science and technology.

Mr. Wu Lichun, Chairman of Sankei Industrial Group Co., Ltd., Chairman of Shandong Engineering Vocational and Technical College, Executive Vice President of the China Overseas Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and President of the Shandong Overseas Chinese Chamber of Commerce, emphasized the importance of China-Japan cooperation in education and science and technology in his keynote speech. He also outlined the vision for both countries to innovate together and cultivate future talent.

The subsequent roundtable discussion was moderated by Yang Fan, the founder and dean of Posi Academy. The participants included Mr. Gao Meng, COO of CICC International, Mr. Wen Zheng, Associate Professor at the School of Science and Engineering at Waseda University, Mr. Xie Yujun, Associate Professor at the Future Technology Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Ms. Liu Yijun, Global Partner at Fosun Ventures, Mr. Liu Sanyong, General Manager of SHEIN Japan, and Mr. Men Naijianping, Founder and CEO of KAUCHE. They held lively discussions on new opportunities for youth from China and Japan to collaborate in technological innovation.

The event was hosted by Qian Yaocheng, President of the Waseda University Student Union.

People-to-People Connections: Sino-Japan Cutural Exchange Activities

On June 24 and 25, the summit, in collaboration with the Qingdao municipal government, ASK Group Holdings, and other organizations, hosted Sino-Japanese cultural exchange activities. Participants included Japanese Members of the House of Representatives, the Japan Governors' Association, the Japan-China Investment Promotion Organization, Panasonic, Changsheng Medical, and other institutions.

Media Coverage and Reports

The 2024 Sino-Japanese Entrepreneurs Summit, as an important platform for promoting economic exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, has received extensive media coverage from prominent Chinese and Japanese outlets. This includes reports from CCTV Finance Channel, People's Daily Overseas Edition, Xinhua News Agency Tokyo Bureau, CHUBUN Chinese News Agency, Asahi Shimbun, Nikkei Shimbun, Japan Chinese News, Nikkei BP, and others.

The media coverage was extensive and in-depth, covering various aspects of the summit and providing a deep analysis of the insights shared by entrepreneurs and the long-term impact of the event. The summit has received positive feedback from various sectors, with many seeing it as an important step in enhancing mutual understanding and promoting shared prosperity. Looking forward, the Sino-Japanese Entrepreneurs Summit will continue to serve as a bridge for business cooperation between the two countries, bringing more opportunities and challenges to both sides.