Good morning!

I am very glad to attend the inauguration ceremony of 2006 East China Fair Oaska. I would like，First of all, on behalf of the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, to extend my sincere congratulations to the opening of the Fair, and my warm welcome to representatives from China and Japan governments, chambers, associations and enterprises, and reporters from press media.

China and Japan have a long history in cooperation. For 34 years after normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, trade and economic cooperation scale, field and level keep expanding, widening and improving. According to statistics from China’s Customs, Sino-Japanese trade increases from US$1.04 billion in 1972 to US$184.45 billion in 2005, which up over 170 times in 34 years. It is predicted to break through US$200 billion in 2006. China has become the 2nd largest trade partner of Japan, while Japan is the 3rd largest trade partner of China.

In investment, Japan is the 2nd largest source of foreign fund of China, while China maintains favorable developing tendency in investment in Japan. It is proved through practice that Sino-Japanese trade and economic cooperation plays an active and promoting role in economic development of the two countries. Recently, leaders of China and Japan met twice and confirmed jointly to make effort in building reciprocal relations on the basis of common strategic benefit. It creates more beneficial satiation for the two countries to expand trade and economic cooperation, and it is believed that Sino-Japanese trade and economic relation will have a broad developing prospect.

East China is close to Japan and it is the most energetic economic growth belt. In 2005, gross domestic product, total import and export and actual use of foreign fund of East China constituted 41.27%、46.82%、70.35% respectively of China. East China Fair is the largest regional international trade fair mainly involves with apparel, household textile, home décor and gift, and daily consumption and had successfully held for 16 sessions.

This session, held exhibition in Osaka with relevant Japanese authorities, is the significant measure of sponsor in accordance with meeting demand of market and deepening trade and economic cooperation. It is also a beneficial exploration for Chinese exhibition to go global and is the relative big exhibition held by China overseas, which MOFCOM attaches great importance and support to.

I sincerely wish this session to become an important platform for Chinese and Japanese enterprise to understand, learn, exchange and cooperate each other. I also hope that Chinese and Japanese governments and enterprises can seize such new opportunity, jointly make effort and create a new phase for all-round, wide-ranging, multilevel Sino-Japanese trade and economic cooperation with mutual benefit and win-win situation.

I wish the Fair a success!

(Source: Network Center of MOFCOM)