JETRO Topics

Dialogue with Communist Party Secretary of Tianjin

December 2016

On December 20, JETRO Chairman and CEO Hiroyuki Ishige took part in a dialogue with Tianjin’s Communist Party Secretary Li Hongzhong in Tianjin, China. Touching on the three goals which Tianjin City is trying to achieve—economic development based on innovation; joint development between the three cities of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei; and development of green technologies—Chairman Ishige made the following proposals for cooperative activities from the perspectives of economic growth based on innovation and the expansion of trade and investment between Tianjin and Japan:

  1. Facilitating interaction between companies and expanding investment
  2. Development of modern service industries such as for the elderly and cross-border electronic commerce
  3. Taking advantage of intellectual property rights
  4. Improving the business environments of both sides

Dialogue between Secretary Li and Chairman Ishige

Regarding the revitalization of innovation, he emphasized that it needs to be promoted by both countries in a manner which respects the viewpoint of each side. Secretary Li highly praised the proposals which Chairman Ishige made as adequately taking into account the current state of affairs in Tianjin and being indispensable in developing both Tianjin and Japan. He said he has high hopes for close collaboration and cooperation between his municipal government and JETRO and promised that Tianjin City will hold a round-table meeting to discuss improvement of the business environment with Japanese companies in China. He also promised that Tianjin City will take specific actions toward beginning cooperation within a hundred days.

After the dialogue, the Tianjin Commission of Commerce and JETRO Beijing concluded a memorandum of understanding with the aim of expanding mutual trade and investment between Tianjin and Japan—in the presence of Secretary Li and Chairman Ishige—which describes the enhancement of cooperation between the two parties, including the proposed activities. With the conclusion of this MOU, JETRO will further focus on collaborative efforts with Tianjin City in facilitating mutual trade and investment between both countries.

Signing ceremony of MOU