Fujian, Japanese companies boost economic, trade cooperation

A promotion conference on economic and trade cooperation between Fujian province and Japan is held in Fuzhou, Fujian province on July 26. [Photo by Yang Jie/chinadaily.com.cn]

A promotion conference on economic and trade cooperation between Fujian province and Japan was held in Fuzhou, Fujian province on July 26, based on the second "Japanese companies visiting Fujian" event that is being held from July 25 to 28.

A Japanese enterprise delegation headed by Homma Tetsuro, vice president of Panasonic Group, visited Fujian. A total of 20 entrepreneur representatives from 12 companies and organizations participated in the delegation, discussing about 10 economic and trade cooperation projects covering industries like biopharmaceuticals, health care, cold chain logistics, as well as semiconductors.

A batch of projects generated from the first "Japanese companies visiting Fujian" event was signed at the conference.

For instance, the provincial department of commerce signed an economic and trade cooperative agreement with Panasonic Group. Japan's Tsushima Health Care & Welfare Group and Guode Pension Service Group Co signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement on the casualty care research center project, as well as the health industry college project, with an agreement amount of 1.18 billion yuan ($181.34 million). Japan's JFE Holdings Inc and an environmental protection technological company in Fujian signed a cooperative agreement on industrial hazardous waste disposal projects, as well as renewable resource recycling projects.

The delegation also went to places like Xiamen Biomedical Port to conduct investment inspections on July 27, exploring cooperation with Xiamen related medical and scientific research institutions to establish a Sino-Japan (Fujian) clinical trial center for regenerative medicine.

Japan is Fujian's eighth largest source of foreign investment and its fifth largest trading partner. From June 10 to 12, the provincial department of commerce held the first "Japanese companies visiting Fujian" event.

Based on the promotion conference with Japanese companies, Fujian will further hold cooperation and promotion conferences with other countries like Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, as well as Indonesia.