Japan, China in 23 Coop. Projects

Japan and China on Sunday signed agreements to promote cooperation in 23 energy-saving and environment preservation projects, Jiji Press reported. The agreements were signed at a meeting hosted in Tokyo by the ministry economy, trade and industry and the Japan-China Economic Association. At the meeting, Hiroshige Seko, minister of economy, trade and industry, expressed Tokyo’s support for China’s “One Belt, One Road” development initiative for countries along the ancient Silk Road. Japan and China need to promote business cooperation in third countries, Seko said. The annual meeting started in 2006. This year’s session, joined by about 900 government and business officials from the two countries, brought the number of signed projects to 336. The Japanese government last month came up with guidelines to encourage Japanese companies to join the Chinese initiative in fields such as energy-saving and the environment.