The 4th China-Japan High-level Economic Dialogue was held on April 16 in Tokyo, Japan. The statistical data from the China International Import Expo show that more than 40 Japanese enterprises have signed the letters of intent, which shows the great appeal of the expo.

Held in 2007, 2009 and 2010, the China-Japan High-level Economic Dialogue represents the highest mechanism of exchange in the economic field between the two governments. Why does the dialogue reopen this year after 8 years?

On the one hand, the bilateral economic and trade relationship has presented a stabilized upswing. In 2017, economic and trade cooperation between two countries presented a stabilized upswing trend, manifested as bilateral trade recovering USD 300 billion in scale, representing growth in excess of 10% with actual investments by Japanese enterprises in China reaching USD 3.2 billion, up 5.3% in year-on-year growth.

As of this February, a total of 51,000 Japan-invested enterprises have been established in China, with an actual capital use amounting to USD 108.8 billion. Many Japanese companies have obtained a good ROI in China and will continue to choose China as the best place for foreign investment.

On the other hand, there have been historical turning points. The year of 2017 stood as the 45th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations. 2018 is the 40th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship. By virtue of this opportunity, the two countries can concentrate on key fields like energy conservation and environmental protection, high-end manufacturing, E-commerce, and modern services, further tapping complementary advantages and cooperation potential, advancing and expanding bilateral trade and two way investment, and working side by side under the framework of the Belt and Road, so as to jointly develop third-party markets, push forward cooperation on infrastructure and connectivity programs, and further improve bilateral economic and trade cooperation, laying a solid foundation for better bilateral relations.

The expo held in Shanghai this November represents the favorable trend of bilateral relations in economic and trade cooperation. Notable Japanese enterprises will attend the expo, including Toyota, Nissan, Noritz and Nachi. An executive of Nachi said that their exhibition area will be up to 1300 square meters at the first expo, the largest among all of the exhibitions they have taken part in.

As of now, 41 Japanese companies have signed the letter of intent with the China International Import Expo Bureau, 11 have signed the contract of participation, 8 have expressed their interest in participating, and 34 have registered on the official website, adding up to around one hundred companies in total.