On December 27 (Sat.) and 28 (Sun.), 2014, Mr. Yosuke Takagi, State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, visited Beijing, the People's Republic of China, to attend the Eighth Japan-China Energy Conservation Forum.
Taking this opportunity, he also had a meeting with Mr. Xie Zhenhua, Vice Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and exchanged views with Mr. Gao Yan, vice minister of the Ministry of Commerce, China.
1. Eighth Japan-China Energy Conservation Forum
- On December 28 (Sun.), 2014, Japan and China jointly held the Eighth Japan-China Energy Conservation Forum in Beijing (see Appendix 1: Agenda), with State Minister Takagi, Mr. Fumiaki Watari, vice president of the Japan-China Economic Association (honorary executive consultant of JX Holdings), Mr. Takayuki Ueda, commissioner of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Mr. Hideo Suzuki, Director-General, Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and other officials attending from the Japan side, and with Vice Minister Xie, Vice Minister Gao, and other officials attending from the China side. The forum was held with more than 500 related people from the public and private sectors in Japan and China attending.
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At the general meeting held in the morning, Vice Minister Xie presented his opening remarks. He pointed out that China is now accelerating the adjustment of its economic structure among the mid- to high-speed economic growth that it is experiencing and also that trade in the fields of energy conservation and the environment accounts for a large volume of Japan-China trade. On the other hand, he also presented three proposals concerning Japan-China cooperation: [i] exchange among industries, [ii] promoting practical cooperation, and [iii] promoting exchange of human resources. Moreover, he pointed out the importance of the political environment in advancing bilateral cooperation.
Following the remarks, State Minister Takagi presented his remarks and stated the following three points while highlighting the significance and importance of the forum: [i] importance of Japan-China economic cooperation, [ii] future directions of Japan's energy conservation policy based on its new Strategic Energy Plan, and [iii] the importance of energy management approaches for comprehensively controlling the energy supply-demand balance.
Following the statement, Vice Minister Gao, as a representative of the China side, mentioned the importance of Japan-China cooperation and its future directions, while introducing the initiatives taken by the Ministry of Commerce in the fields of energy conservation and the environment, including efforts for establishing a recyclable economy and for green development. - Furthermore, Dr. Hiroshi Amano, professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Nagoya University, a 2014 Nobel laureate in physics, presented a special lecture on the history of his research and development of the blue LED technology, his expectation toward the dissemination of blue LEDs in Japan and China, and the effects brought about by blue LEDs in advancing energy conservation efforts.
- In the afternoon, six breakdown sessions were held, focusing on common interests shared by Japan and China, including one titled "Energy management systems and LEDs." At the sessions, experts in Japan and China offered presentations concerning technologies for energy conservation and the environment in a variety of fields.
2. Signed Document Exchange Ceremony
- A ceremony for exchanging signed project documents was held, and both sides exchanged documents concerning 41 projects (for a list of the agreed projects, see Appendix 2).
- The agreed projects focus on Japan-China cooperation not only in the fields of energy conservation, water/sludge treatment, and recycling but also in the fields of energy management systems and smart communities as major established cooperation areas. Such projects are also characterized by advanced cooperation that reflects the needs confronting both countries, as is seen in the increased number of cooperation projects for measures for addressing air pollution.
3. Meeting and exchanging views with important persons in the Chinese government
- At the meeting with Vice Minister Xie, both sides shared the recognition that the resumed forum is important, and also agreed to advance bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy conservation and the environment, including resuming dialogues at a variety of levels between METI and NDRC and promoting demonstration projects operated by NEDO and joint research toward the dissemination of next-generation vehicles. In addition, they also agreed that Japan and China will jointly make efforts toward the next forum to be held in Japan.
- State Minister Takagi briefly exchanged views with Vice Minister Gao, Ministry of Commerce, and both sides agreed they will make efforts in the joint development of a dialogue mechanism between METI and the Ministry of Commerce. As a first step to the goal, they agreed to advance the following issues: [i] establishment of a dialogue mechanism at the division level, [ii] resumption of distribution policy dialogues, and [iii] exchanging views on the antimonopoly act. In addition, State Minister Takagi requested China to further improve the business environment for Japanese companies in China, including the protection of intellectual property rights and enhanced transparent operation of the antimonopoly act. At the same time, both sides agreed to promote bilateral cooperation also at the political level to further improve the Japan-China relationship.
Outline of the Appendices
Appendix 1: Program of the Eighth Japan-China Energy Conservation Forum(PDF:128KB) (in Japanese).
Release date
January 5, 2015
Division in charge
Northeast Asia Division, Trade Policy Bureau, METI
International Affairs Office, Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Department, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy
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