The Shandong-Japan Emerging Industry Promotion Conference was held on Dec 4 in Osaka, Japan during a visit by the Shandong government. 

Liu Jiayi, Party chief of Shandong, delivered a keynote speech at the conference and noted that Shandong and Japan's Kansai region have deep historical ties and since the beginning of reform and opening up, cooperation between the two sides has seen significant progress.

He said that the conference was designed to promote mutual understanding and friendship between the people of Shandong and Kansai as well as facilitate cooperation and trade.

Liu Jiayi, Party chief of Shandong, delivers a keynote speech at the conference. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Liu also put forward a four-point cooperation proposal. He said that the two sides should create a new cooperation system involving enterprises, industries, and scientific research so as to make cooperation more stable and predictable.

He went on to say that the two parties should pursue regular cooperation in multimodal transport and jointly build an international corridor connecting Southeast Asia and the Eurasian continent.

He also said that the two sides should work together to promote innovation, smart manufacturing, and green development, and that cooperation should be strengthened in areas like digital economy, artificial intelligence, marine economy, scientific research, education, medical care, and the petrochemical industry.

He further stated that the two sides should carry out comprehensive cooperation in medical care, managing mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes and grasslands,  preventing and controlling pollution, and developing science and technology for disaster prevention.

Li Tianran, consul general of the Chinese Consulate-General in Osaka, said that the two sides would take advantage of opportunities brought about by the development of China-Japan relations and deepen cooperation at the local level.

Hirofumi Yoshimura, governor of Osaka prefecture, expressed hope that the conference would generate more cooperation opportunities and deepen cooperation between the Kansai region and Shandong province.

Representatives from Shandong and Japan sign cooperation projects during the conference. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Cities from Shandong and Japan discussed their industries and urban development at the conference, with the newly-established Shandong free trade zone and the healthcare industry being the main topics.

Twelve deals on cooperation projects were signed during the conference.

A matchmaking activity was also held, attended by 47 healthcare institutions, enterprises, universities, and research institutions from Shandong, along with over 100 counterparts from Japan.