The 15th Beijing-Tokyo Forum, a non-governmental symposium to be held in Beijing on October 25-27, will explore responsibilities and actions China and Japan should take in maintaining peace and promoting development in Asia and the world at large, organizers said.

Gao Anming, Vice President of China International Publishing Group (CIPG), told the press on May 17 that during their consultation, the two sides expressed the hope that the forum will not merely center on bilateral issues, but take into account global challenges facing both countries. The escalating China-U.S. trade friction is a recent example where China and Japan can share experience in opposing trade protectionism and safeguarding the free trade system.

Hirohide Yamaguchi, former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Japan, added that China and Japan could jointly deliver Asian voices against this kind of challenge initiated by the U.S., and analyze the issue from an objective and macro perspective.

Based on current international situations, China and Japan should act together and shoulder common responsibilities, said Gao, adding that the upcoming forum will be grounded on previous experiences of success, innovate its agenda and format, and strive to play a greater role in offering advice on how to conduct pragmatic cooperation, maintain long-term stable bilateral ties and safeguard international order.

Sub-forums covering political and diplomatic issues, economy and trade, security, and media will also take place during the meeting. The two sides will conduct a joint opinion poll on China-Japan relations and release the results before the opening of the forum.

The Beijing-Tokyo Forum, an annual international symposium co-hosted by CIPG and Genron NPO, a Japanese non-profit organization, aims to provide a non-governmental exchange platform that helps improve China-Japan ties .

Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo

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