TOKYO - Chen Deming, former minister of commerce of China, said here Friday that the economic structures of China and Japan are highly complementary, and that the two countries, by joining hands and combining strengths, will boost their own development and at the same time, play an even bigger role in building a more stable and prosperous Asia.
The development of Asia closely connects to and profoundly influences the trend of the world, Chen said here at the 25th International Conference on the Future of Asia.
Asian countries have participated in and deepened value chains, and have been advancing regional economic integration. Growing into the region with most development potentials, Asia has also become an important constructive force to global economic governance, Chen said.
As the second and the third largest economies in the world, China and Japan, both Asian economical powerhouses, are bound by a historical duty to jointly work for the future prosperity of Asia, the former official said.
Chen said that China and Japan cooperation should go beyond the bilateral limits and be put under the regional or even the global perspective. As economic globalization suffers setbacks amid rising unilateralism and protectionism, it is the duty of China and Japan to cooperate in a mutually beneficial way to plan for the long-term prosperity and stability of the region and the world.
From the regional prospective, Chen said that it is urgent to complete as early as possible the negotiations over the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the trilateral free trade agreement among China, Japan and South Korea.
The two sides should also strengthen cooperations and coordinations at important multilateral occasions such as WTO, G20 and APEC, he said.
Chen said that China-Japan relations are back to the normal track of stable growth in political, economic and cultural exchanges and need continuous “updates.” (Xinhua)