To implement the consensus reached by the leaders of China and Japan on strengthening practical cooperation in green development, the 17th China-Japan Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Comprehensive Forum was held on November 9 in Tokyo, Japan. The event was jointly organized by China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and the Japan-China Economic Association.
The forum was attended by Zhao Chenxin, Deputy Director of the NDRC; Li Fei, Vice Minister of MOFCOM; Wu Jianghao, Chinese Ambassador to Japan; Koichi Hagiuda, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan; Keishiro Asao, Minister of the Environment of Japan; and Takashi Shinto, President of the Japan-China Economic Association, who delivered opening remarks.
Approved by the State Council of China, the China-Japan Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Comprehensive Forum has been held 17 times since its inception in 2006, resulting in the signing of 457 cooperative projects. It has become a key platform for collaboration in energy conservation, environmental protection, and green development between the two countries.
This year’s forum brought together over 800 representatives from government agencies, enterprises, institutions, and associations of both countries. It featured five sub-forums focused on energy efficiency improvement, automotive electrification and intelligence, hydrogen and ammonia energy, long-term trade relations, and green building. A total of 27 cooperative projects were signed during the event.
As one of the cooperative initiatives, the Nagoya University-SinoCarbon Carbon Neutral Innovation Joint Laboratory ("the Joint Laboratory") participated in the signing and presentation ceremony at the main forum. In the presence of leaders from both countries, Professor Katsuhiko Shimizu, Dean of the School of Economics at Nagoya University, and Mr. Tang Renhu, Chairman of SinoCarbon, exchanged and displayed the signed agreement as representatives of the two parties.
The Joint Laboratory aims to leverage the strengths of both sides to foster collaboration in integrating industry and education, talent development, scientific research, technology transfer, industry exchange, and project implementation. It will focus on areas such as climate change, carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, ESG, and green financing, advancing broad and in-depth cooperation.
The successful signing of this project during the forum highlights the recognition and support from both governments for the Joint Laboratory’s role in promoting green and low-carbon collaboration between China and Japan. It underscores the commitment to facilitating the transformation of green technologies and fostering high-quality talent development.
Co-hosted by MOFCOM and the Japan-China Economic Association, and supported by the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, the sub-forum on "Green Trade and Investment" explored topics such as green trade, investment in the green sector, and cooperation in low-carbon transformation in third-country markets.
Mr. Tang Renhu was invited to participate in the sub-forum and delivered a speech titled, "Promoting Trade through Green Development: Green and Low-Carbon as New Drivers of China-Japan Trade and Investment Growth." In his speech, Mr. Tang outlined the global carbon neutrality challenges shared by China and Japan, as well as the opportunities and challenges in green and low-carbon industries and bilateral trade. He elaborated on how green and low-carbon considerations will become key factors in future bilateral and multilateral trade. Additionally, he offered suggestions for accelerating the growth of green and low-carbon trade between China and Japan and shared insights into SinoCarbon’s recent practices and contributions in this area, including those of the Joint Laboratory.
At this year’s forum, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation in the energy conservation and environmental protection sectors, advancing green and low-carbon technology collaboration, and strengthening efforts to combat climate change. They pledged to work together to promote global and regional green and low-carbon development, focusing on new technologies, models, and trends. By addressing emerging contradictions and challenges in global ecological civilization, they aim to contribute to building a prosperous, clean, and beautiful world.
SinoCarbon, in collaboration with its Japanese partners, will continue to make dedicated efforts toward the green and low-carbon development of China and Japan.