Beijing, June 4, 2025 – The Europe Today: Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with a delegation led by Yohei Kono, President of the Japanese Association for the Promotion of International Trade (JAPIT), in Beijing on Tuesday, reaffirming China’s commitment to advancing mutually beneficial cooperation and deepening bilateral relations with Japan.
During the meeting, Premier Li emphasized that China is prepared to actively work with all sectors in Japan to implement the important political consensus that defines the two countries as cooperative partners rather than adversaries. He stressed the need to achieve more tangible outcomes in practical cooperation, while further consolidating the political mutual trust and the foundation of friendship between their peoples.
Li called on both countries to manage their differences constructively and to remain committed to steering bilateral relations in the right direction. “China and Japan have many unique advantages in deepening cooperation,” Li stated, adding that both nations should leverage these strengths to generate greater mutual benefits and win-win outcomes, inject new momentum into each other’s development, and contribute to global economic growth.
The Chinese Premier reaffirmed China’s resolve to expand high-level opening up and welcomed the active participation of Japanese enterprises in the Chinese market. He expressed the hope that JAPIT would continue to serve as a vital bridge for deepening economic and trade cooperation, and enhancing mutual trust and understanding between the two nations.
In response, Yohei Kono expressed JAPIT’s enduring commitment to fostering friendly Japan-China relations. He noted that amid a complex international landscape, Japan and China should strengthen communication and coordination to jointly uphold multilateralism and the rules-based free trade system.
Kono emphasized JAPIT’s willingness to expand exchanges with China, enhance mutual understanding between their peoples, and contribute positively to the development of bilateral relations and practical cooperation.
The meeting reflected the shared interest of both countries in promoting stability, economic integration, and people-to-people exchanges, while underlining the importance of sustained dialogue and partnership in addressing regional and global challenges.
