Japanese, ROK enterprises bullish on China's high-tech development

Visitors watch a new-energy car displayed by FAW Hongqi during the 14th China-Northeast Asia Expo in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Aug. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Nan)

CHANGCHUN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- A raft of high-tech achievements and products attracted the attention of many companies from Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) attending the 14th China-Northeast Asia Expo, which concluded Sunday in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province.

A total of 99 projects were signed during the five-day expo, setting a new record in terms of the scale of project investments, said Lyu Haiqiang, deputy director of the executive committee of the expo.

These ventures span a diverse spectrum of sectors, including new energy, modern agriculture, equipment manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and modern services.

"Compared with their Japanese counterparts, Chinese scientists are generally young and more energetic, which is making China's science and technology develop rapidly," said Haruko Yoneyama, a senior adviser to the Japan Science and Technology Agency.

Jilin recently unveiled 15 high-tech achievements and products covering three areas, namely, optoelectronic information and intelligent manufacturing, new materials and new energy, and medicine, health and modern agriculture. Among these, numerous new technologies that have attained a globally leading standard were commended by Haruko Yoneyama.

"I am optimistic about the prospects of China's scientific and technological development, and I am looking forward to the progress of China's scientific and technological innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence and big data," she said.

Toshio Shinoda, regional CEO for China of Marubeni Corporation, said the company has long done business with enterprises in Jilin, engaging in fields like water purification and real estate. With high-tech advancements thriving in the province, Marubeni Corporation has broadened its scope of cooperation with China, extending into areas like agricultural products and food, while also venturing into the realm of smart agriculture.

"Jilin is rich in wind, solar and renewable energy. We hope to cooperate with Chinese enterprises in the fields of new energy and carbon neutrality there," Toshio Shinoda said.

Lee Sung-ho, head of the Changchun office of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, noted that Jilin has actively formulated new development plans, including focusing on cultivating emerging industries, especially in the field of new energy vehicles (NEVs). Local automakers are expanding global cooperation and investment in the research and development of core technology in new areas such as electric vehicles and driverless cars.

He said the ROK government is also investing heavily in the development of the environment-friendly NEV industry, and China and the ROK have broad space for cooperation in this field.

"We hope that the expo will serve as an opportunity for Northeast Asian countries to foster emerging industries and carry out collaborations," Lee said.

According to the participants, the exchanges between China, Japan and the ROK in the high-tech field are not only a driving force for promoting friendly competition but also open up new avenues of cooperation.

"The ROK and China are geographically close, and the economic cooperation between the two sides is also closely linked. The youth of the two countries shoulder the common future, and are looking forward to more opportunities to exchange, as well as contributing to the peace in Northeast Asia and the economic development of China and the ROK," said Jeon Yong-gi of the Minjoo Party of Korea.

Themed "Joint Development of Northeast Asia in Cooperation for the Future," the expo saw the offline participation of over 20,000 merchants from 123 countries and regions.

The China-Northeast Asia Expo has become a significant platform for building consensus and forging economic and trade cooperation between China and its neighboring countries, and even beyond.

Since its inception in 2005, the China-Northeast Asia Expo has seen 14 editions and witnessed the signing of more than 3,000 cooperation projects with the total investment value exceeding 2 trillion yuan (about 278.33 billion U.S. dollars).