Japan Association of Corporate Executives Chairman Takeshi Niinami, right, talks with Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday.
12:29 JST, November 5, 2024
BEIJING – The Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai) delegation on Monday called on China to soon exempt Japanese visitors from visa requirements for a short period, during its first visit to the country in eight years.
On that day, Doyukai Chairman Takeshi Niinami met, among others, Chinese Vice Prime Minister Han Zheng at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and also called for China’s active participation in the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025.
‘I expect [Doyukai] to continue to serve as a bridge for economic and trade exchanges between China and Japan and to help the two countries deepen their cooperation,” Han said at the meeting.
Niinami told reporters after the meeting that he felt “a positive will” from China regarding visa waivers.
On Friday, China’s Foreign Ministry added nine countries, including South Korea and Norway, to the list of countries eligible for visa waivers, but Japan was not among them. Neither side is said to have raised the incident in which a Japanese schoolchild and others were attacked in China.
It was the first visit by a Japanese business group in four years, after the Japan-China Economic Association in January. Business associations in the Kansai region, including the Kansai Economic Federation, will visit later this month.
