From October 9 to 16, 2023, Gao Yu, Chairman of the Counsellors’ Office of the State Council (COSC), headed a delegation to Japan and the United States at the invitation of the Canon Institute for Global Studies (CIGS) of Japan and the World Resources Institute (WRI) of the United States. Also joining the delegation were Zhu Tong, Counsellor of the State Council, and Huang Qin, Counsellor of the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government. 

During the visit to Japan, the delegation met with Masakazu Hamachi, Vice Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, who briefed them on Japan’s institutional and policy frameworks for the sustainable development of elderly care. They also held discussions with the CIGS on addressing population aging, elderly care industry policies, and social welfare and insurance systems. The delegation conducted field visits to two elderly care facilities—Hyakujozan Gasshokai and Minamiyamashiro Gakuen—to gain an insight into the operational practices of Japan’s elderly care institutions. 

During the visit to the United States, the delegation met with Ani Dasgupta, President and CEO of WRI, and exchanged views on urban green and low-carbon development and the just transition in global climate governance. They also met with Michael Froman, President of the Council on Foreign Relations, for discussions on carbon reduction policies and trends in the new energy industry. The delegation convened a symposium on energy transition, engaging in discussions with local U.S. government officials, think tank experts, university scholars, and business representatives on two key topics: national and local climate policies in the United States, and advances in the global energy transition. The delegation also held talks with representatives of some Chinese-funded enterprises.

Throughout the trip, the delegation was received by Wu Jianghao, Chinese Ambassador to Japan, Xu Xueyuan, Minister of the Chinese Embassy in the United States, and Shi Yuanqiang and Li Zhiqiang, Deputy Consuls General of the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles.