Wen Jiabao: Next Year Will Start The Formal Negotiation Between China, Japan And South Korea FTA.

On the afternoon of May 22nd, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao attended a luncheon meeting of the China, Japan and Korea business summit held at the Tokyo Federation of trade unions.

Wen Jiabao said Japan and South Korea economy The continuous development of cooperation is in line with the fundamental interests of the three peoples and is conducive to the prosperity and stability of Asia and the world.

He further made specific suggestions on pragmatic cooperation between the three countries.

First, we should further expand the trade scale between the three countries.

China, Japan and Korea are the ten largest trading nations in the world, but the three countries are among them. Volume of trade It accounts for only about 11% of the total foreign trade volume of the three countries, and there is still room for improvement. In recent years, new changes have taken place in the trade structure of the three countries. Intra industry trade has developed rapidly, and the proportion of intermediate products trade has increased significantly. This is a reflection of deepening economic ties and refining the division of labor in the three countries. We should take advantage of the situation, further open the market, reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers, and expand the cooperation in customs, quality inspection, spanportation, personnel entry and exit, and create a favorable environment for the development of intra regional trade. The construction of China, Japan and Korea free trade area is the common aspiration of the three industry circles. The joint research on government, industry and learning has made positive progress, and is expected to be completed ahead of schedule in the year to start formal negotiations next year. China is willing to advance this work with maximum sincerity. In the same trade with Japan, China has a big deficit, but we take this attitude positively, do not engage in trade protectionism, and hope to gradually achieve trade balance in development.

Second, further deepen the three party investment cooperation.

Japan and Korea are important foreign investment countries in the world, and Chinese enterprises have begun to invest abroad. However, the three countries' mutual investment accounts for less than 10% of the total foreign investment of the three countries, and the potential for cooperation is huge. It is an important and urgent task to further improve the three party investment cooperation mechanism and try to eliminate all kinds of obstacles that affect the investment of enterprises. Since 2005, the three governments have made painstaking efforts to negotiate the three party investment agreement. So far, 12 rounds of negotiations have been held, reaching agreement on the vast majority of issues. China will do its utmost to cooperate with Japan and South Korea in order to complete the negotiations within the year. I reiterate that the Chinese government welcomes enterprises from all over the world, including Japan and Korea, to invest in China. All foreign-funded enterprises established in China are entitled to national treatment, and the intellectual property rights and legitimate rights and interests of all kinds of enterprises will be effectively protected. We also hope that the governments of Japan and Korea will facilitate the investment of Chinese enterprises.

Third, further development Green economy And circular economy.

China, Japan and South Korea have low level of per capita resources, so it is our common goal to develop green economy, recycle economy and achieve sustainable development. China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Japan and South Korea in renewable energy fields such as wind energy and solar energy. China has proposed the establishment of the "renewable energy production, research and research innovation alliance" of the three countries, so that the advantages of the three countries in technology, production and market will be complemented. This year, China will host international forums and exhibitions on the theme of new energy cooperation, and invite representatives from three governments, enterprises, universities and research institutions to discuss cooperation matters. It is the consensus reached by the leaders of the three countries two years ago that the establishment of the circular economic demonstration base for China, Japan and South Korea. The Chinese government is willing to take effective measures to win the construction of the demonstration base of circular economy in China within the year. We also support the establishment of a demonstration base in Japan and South Korea.

Fourth, we should further strengthen cooperation in disaster prevention and mitigation and post disaster reconstruction. {page_break}

The frequent occurrence of natural disasters is a major challenge facing China, Japan and Korea. The three governments unanimously agreed to further strengthen disaster management cooperation and explore the establishment of an information and emergency rescue cooperation mechanism. China recommends that the three countries carry out joint studies on earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes in Northeast Asia, and are willing to provide funding for the project. China will continue to provide assistance to disaster relief according to the needs of Japan. China will send trade and investment promotion missions to Japan and discuss with Japan on reconstruction cooperation on the same day.