World Expo to bolster trade ties with Japan

China and Japan will jointly develop World Expo 2025 into a platform for exchanges and friendship between the two peoples, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade said on Wednesday.

World Expo 2025, to be held from April 13 to Oct 13 in Osaka, Japan's third-largest city, has seen all preparatory work basically completed. The China Pavilion, themed "Building a Community of Life for Man and Nature — Future Society of Green Development", will officially open on April 13, the Beijing-based council said.

As tensions rise over impending tariff threats from the United States and growing uncertainties in the external environment, China, Japan and South Korea are expected to form closer ties to maintain Asia's economic stability and create a buffer against unilateralism.

The three nations announced on Sunday that they have agreed to accelerate negotiations on their trilateral free trade agreement and enhance cooperation in supply chain management and export controls, said China's Ministry of Commerce.

Meanwhile, during the sixth China-Japan High-Level Economic Dialogue held in Tokyo in late March — the first such dialogue between the two countries in about six years — China clearly stated that it will support Japan in hosting World Expo 2025 and the expo should be built into a platform for exchanges and friendship between the people of the two countries.

China and Japan are jointly committed to building a constructive and stable economic and trade relationship that meets the needs of the new era, and the two sides reached such a consensus during the dialogue amid uncertainty brought about by trade protectionism.

Covering an area of approximately 3,500 square meters, the China Pavilion stands as one of the largest foreign pavilions at this year's World Expo.

"We have actively implemented the important consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries and fully integrated elements of Sino-Japanese friendship into the design of the China Pavilion," said Li Qingshuang, deputy head of the CCPIT and government representative of the China Pavilion.

"The China Pavilion will become an important platform for China and Japan to strengthen local exchanges and deepen practical cooperation in various sectors, allowing more people from both countries to get closer and making Sino-Japanese relations more heartwarming," Li said.

At the pavilion, a set of wooden carvings depicting representative figures, classic scenes and touching moments in the over 2,000 years of history of friendly exchanges between China and Japan indicate that people from all walks of life from the two countries can draw wisdom from the history, tap into common cultural values and continue to seek common ground, the CCPIT said.

During the expo, Chinese provincial and municipal delegations, enterprises, institutions, media and think tanks will engage in various forms of cultural, tourism and economic exchanges and interactions with the Japanese side. More than 60 pairs of friendly cities are expected to take part in World Expo 2025 as an opportunity to continue deepening their mutually beneficial cooperation, the CCPIT said.

The China Pavilion highlights the Chinese philosophy that humans must respect nature, follow its way and live in harmony with nature. The exterior design of the pavilion is inspired by bamboo slips and shaped like an unfolded Chinese traditional calligraphy scroll.

zhuwenqian@chinadaily.com.cn