Outline of Discussions

 

 

            The Global Forum of Japan (GFJ), the Japan Forum on International Relations (JFIR), the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), the Energy Research Institute, and the National Development and Reform Commission (ERI) co-sponsored the "Japan-China Dialogue: The Japan-China Relationship and Energy and Environmental Issues" on January 23-24, 2007 in Tokyo. The Dialogue was attended by 115 participants. An outline of the discussions follows:

Part 1: "The Japan-China Relationship in the New Era"

            In part 1 on the theme of "The Japan-China Relationship in the New Era," Jiăng Lì Fēng, Director of the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, gave his keynote speech, stating that "There is an idea of `harmony' in the essence of Chinese political culture. The Hú Jĭntào Administration endeavors to construct the `Reconciliation Society' and `Reconciliation World'. Projecting the direction of Chinese efforts forward, an East Asian Community (EAC) is a future target." Prof. ITO Kenichi, President of The Global Forum of Japan, made a second keynote speech, stating that "In Asia recently, there have been a stream of initiatives for producing regional cooperation that set an EAC as the final goal, but also a backflow produced by struggling against longstanding power politics, such as the unilateral nuclear experiment in North Korea. The future of Asia will be decided by which flows China will take a part in. It is of great significance that Japan and China promised to construct the `strategic reciprocity relationship' during Prime Minister Abe's visit to China. The support which both countries have unanimously given to the resolution imposing economic sanctions adopted by the U.N.'s Security Council against North Korea is reassuring, and this is proof that the Japan-China relationship is progressing towards greater possibilities." After that, Mă Jùnwēi, Deputy Director of the Institute of Japanese Studies, CICIR, and the other seven panelists of both countries expressed their opinions.

Part2: "The Japan-China Cooperation in Energy and Environmental Issues"

            Part 2 is on the theme of "Japan-China Cooperation in Energy and Environmental Issues", and consists of Session 1, "The Current Situation and Its Problems," and Session 2, "Future Perspectives."

Session 1: The Current Situation and Its Problems

            First, in Session 1, UNO Kimio, Professor Emeritus at Keio University, gave a keynote speech, stating that, "We need to consider the cooperation of Japan-China in the field of energy within the international framework of the world energy demand-supply balance. In order to shift the rivalry into reciprocity, energy saving measures will be effective. Specifically, measures such as `The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)' and the transfer of energy saving technology will be important." Next, Líu Qiáng, Assistant Research Professor at ERI, made the second keynote speech, stating that, "The energy supply in China cannot catch up with high economic growth, and also there are serious environmental problems. The transformation of the industrial and energy consumption structure must be a key factor. We expect cooperation from Japan, which is one of the advanced countries in this field."

Session 2: Future Perspective

            In Session 2, HIRONO Ryokichi, Professor Emeritus at Seikei University, gave his keynote speech, stating that, "Japan's environmental cooperation with China has largely contributed in three different areas: policy, system construction, and technology. However, it was disappointing that Japan made no response to the `China Council' (the Chinese government requested the comments of worldwide experts about its environmental policy)." Hú Xiūlián, Research Professor at ERI, made the second keynote speech, stating that, "the cooperation between Japan and China is essential for Northeast Asia, Asia, and the whole world. It is a key factor for both nations to cooperate by pooling each other's strong points, especially in energy conservation. The same is true of the power generated by coal combustion, for example, where there are various technologies available such as high pressure desulfurization technology, and coal liquefaction. "
After the keynote report in both sessions, many of the assembled commentators and the audience raised comments.