On the afternoon of February 17, 2025, Xu Chang, Vice Chairman of the Counsellors’ Office of the State Council (COSC), met with Minister Yoshiyuki Yamada, Headof the Economic Departmentof the Embassy of Japan in China, at the COSC at the request of the Japanese side.

   Mr. Xu extended a warm welcome to Mr. Yamada and his delegation, and briefed them on the COSC and its exchanges with relevant Japanese institutions in recent years.China and Japan,Xu noted,are close neighbors separated only by a narrow strip of water, with deeply intertwined economic interests and industrial and supply chains. The COSC stands ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Embassy of Japan in China and relevant think tanks, witha view to helpingboth countriesleverage theircomplementary economic strengths, maintainingstable and unimpededindustrial and supply chains, and deliveringmore fruitful outcomes in China-Japan economic and trade cooperation.

   Mr. Yamada expressed appreciation for the COSC’s pragmaticcooperation with Japanese think tanks. He briefly outlined Japan’s initiatives in addressing population aging, promoting the long-term care insurance system, and developing the silver economy. Stressing that Japan-China economic relations serve as the cornerstone of bilateral ties, he noted that enhancing economic exchanges between the two countries serves the interests of both sides. He expressed the hope for more exchanges and cooperation with the COSC.

   Also present at the meeting were officials from the Department of International Exchanges and Cooperation of the COSC, as well asMasahiro Todaka, Natsuki Fukuda and Yukihiro Morishita,First Secretaries of the Embassy of Japan in China.