Nakasone Peace Institute (NPI) and the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs held the 14th Symposium on Japan-China Relations on November 26, 2021.

The symposium was originally scheduled to be held in China, but due to the continuing effects of the Novel Coronavirus pandemic, it had to be held online again in 2021. A total of 21 participants engaged in lively discussion under the theme of "Building Japan-China Relations to Meet the Demands of a New Era."

Mr. Wang Chao, President of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Nakasone Hirofumi, Vice Chairman of NPI, gave opening remarks.

Mr. Wang Chao praised the October 8 telephone conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and expressed his congratulations on the success of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. He also expressed his hope that the symposium would help promote the friendship between China and Japan, as the year 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

NPI Vice Chairman Nakasone reported that, having won the general election, the Kishida administration had the confidence of the public and that a system has been established to work toward improving Japan-China relations. He also praised the momentum to manage the deteriorating relationship between the U.S. and China, including the telephone conversation between President Biden and President Xi Jinping.

The following themes were discussed in two sessions.

The first session was on politics and diplomacy, moderated by former Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua. A participant from China, Dr. Yang Bojiang, Director of the Institute of Japanese Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, reported on the current status and future of Japan-China relations and proposed measures to improve the situation. Then, Kawashima Shin, Professor, the University of Tokyo and NPI Executive Director of Research ad interim, gave a presentation in which he noted that the people of both countries recognize the importance of Japan-China relations.

In the second session, on the economy and data economy, NPI President Fujisaki Ichiro served as moderator, and NPI Vice President Arai Hisamitsu proposed that Japan and China tackle common issues such as the digital industrial revolution and global warming. The next speaker was Dr. Jiang Ruiping, former Assistant President of the China Foreign Affairs University, who said that China and Japan not only have room to expand their economic relations, but also that they need to do so.

After lively discussions in each session, President Fujisaki Ichiro and President Wang Chao gave their summaries of the discussions and their perceptions of the outcomes and challenges. They added that research institutes have a responsibility to make concrete recommendations and to monitor the implementation of recommendations by the government.