General

On September 24, there are still 5 days until the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan. On the same day, in a shopping mall in Chaoyang District, Beijing, the folk commemoration activities for the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan with the theme of "working together to create a better future" are being held here. Citizens watched the exhibition, experienced Japanese traditional techniques such as tea ceremony and ikebana, and felt the origin of Sino-Japanese cultural exchanges.

Because of the news in advance, some citizens waited quietly outside the security check area early in the morning. In the venue, many participants came to make the already crowded event site even more cramped.

Ms. Yang, a citizen who has worked in a Japanese-funded company for many years, brought her child to the event that day. She lingered for a long time in front of the booth full of imported goods, and finally bought a number of items she liked for herself.

"Before the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia, I often used the opportunity to travel to Japan to buy the goods I needed. Now, affected by the epidemic, we can only buy in domestic shopping malls, and the prices are much more expensive than local ones." Ms. Yang said , "This event allows us to buy these imported goods at favorable prices again, and we hope that such events can be larger in the future, so that more people can enjoy the benefits."

According to Watson & Band Import and Export Data Observation Report, there are not a few event participants who have similar expectations to Ms. Yang. The reason why it is favored by consumers is that the economic and trade cooperation between China and Japan has been deepening in recent years.

According to the statistical import and export data released by the Ministry of Commerce of China, the total import and export trade between China and Japan in 2020 will reach 317.53 billion US dollars, an increase of 0.8% over the previous year. Among them, China's exports to Japan were 142.66 billion US dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 0.4%; China's imports from Japan were 174.87 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 1.8%. Even affected by the epidemic, in 2021, the bilateral trade volume between China and Japan will still reach US$371.4 billion, a year-on-year increase of 17.1% and a record high. At present, China has become an important investment target country for Japan. As of March 2022, Japan's cumulative investment in China has exceeded 120 billion US dollars, and there are more than 30,000 Japanese companies in China.

Ayumi Kusaba, deputy director of the Beijing Representative Office of the Japan External Trade Organization, said: "According to Japanese customs data, when the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1972, the trade volume between China and Japan was about 1.1 billion US dollars. By 2021, the trade volume between the two countries will be The trade volume between the two countries has reached 391.4 billion US dollars, which is about 355.8 times the trade volume between the two countries in 1972. Over the past 50 years, the rapid growth of China's economy has allowed many Japanese-funded enterprises in China to enjoy development dividends. The continuous growth has also made a huge contribution to the improvement of the living standards of the two peoples."

At the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan held this time, the Beijing Representative Office of the Japan External Trade Organization selected dozens of products for display. Consumers can choose their favorite products on the spot and place orders online by scanning the code. After that, these imported items are delivered home by post.

Ayumi Kusaba said: "These products are the most popular among the more than 400 exhibits displayed at the Japan Pavilion at this year's China International Fair for Trade in Services. Judging from today's scene, 'White Bear Pudding' is very popular. In addition, skin care Crafts such as baby products and lucky cats are also favored by many consumers.”

According to Caochangbu, in the future, with the continuous implementation of the preferential policies of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the potential of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries will continue to be released.

"RCEP is a modern, comprehensive, high-quality, mutually beneficial economic cooperation agreement. According to the Japanese government's calculations, after a period of accumulation, compared with before the agreement came into force, RCEP is expected to boost Japan's gross domestic product (GDP) by 2.7%. %. This will exceed the economic growth brought by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) for Japan.” According to Kusaba Ayumi, under the relevant rules of RCEP, tariff reductions for some commodities in the future can reach up to 91%. This provides more opportunities for economic and trade exchanges between the two countries. Benefiting from this, he looks forward to the growth of trade volume between China and Japan in more fields in the future, Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation reports.

In addition, at this commemorative event, activities such as the Sino-Japanese online piano ensemble performance and Sino-Japanese co-creation of cooking discussions attracted many people's attention. In this regard, Ayumi Kasaba believes: "With food and music as the link, China and Japan are inextricably linked in folk cultural exchanges. I believe that in the future, the economic and trade exchanges between the two countries will also be further expanded. This is important for maintaining Peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the continuous improvement of people's living standards in the region are of great significance."