“The 2024 Dialogue with Shandong: Japan – Shandong Industrial Cooperation and Exchange” held in Shandong Province, China

July 2024

On July 31, JETRO, together with the People's Government of Shandong Province and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), hosted the “The 2024 Dialogue with Shandong: Japan – Shandong Industrial Cooperation and Exchange” in Jinan City, Shandong Province, where Chairman Ishiguro delivered a speech as host. The day before the meeting, Chairman Ishiguro held a dialogue with Shandong Communist Party Secretary Lin Wu.

This was the first time that the event, the largest Japan-China economic exchange event in Shandong Province, was held mainly in person in Jinan since the lifting of quarantine regulations related to COVID-19. Approximately 800 Shandong and Japanese business and government officials, including Secretary Lin and Provincial Governor Zhou Naixiang, participated in the event.

In his opening remarks, Chairman Ishiguro said, “This year marks the 20th anniversary of the JETRO Qingdao Office, which was established in August 2004 to further strengthen economic ties between Japan and Shandong Province. During that time, many Japanese companies have expanded their operations in Shandong, making the province one of the top ten Japanese business centers in the world.” He discussed the potential for new Japan-China business collaborations in Shandong, given its wide range of industries and the scale and depth of its businesses. Secretary Lin expressed his hopes for Shandong Province’s high-level opening-up and that Shandong Province and Japan would continue to take advantage of opportunities for joint development in low-carbon and green industries, and to improve the level of mutually beneficial relations.

Matching sessions were held in the fields of environmental protection and energy conservation, and the elderly industry. 34 Japanese companies (including Japanese companies operating in China) and about 220 Chinese companies participated in the sessions, which were very successful.

In their discussion the day before the event, Chairman Ishiguro and Secretary Lin confirmed that both JETRO and Shandong Provincial Government will work together to improve the business environment and strengthen cooperation between Japanese and Chinese companies based on an MOU that JETRO signed with the Shandong Provincial Government.