Treasury Ministry Holds 31st China Study Group Meeting, Analyzes Shenzhen Industrial Policy and 50 Years of Japan-China Exchange

The Ministry of Finance Policy Research Institute held the first meeting of the 31st China Study Group on September 2, 2025. Two important research presentations were delivered. The first was "Industrial Policy and Development in Shenzhen" by Professor Tomoo Marukawa of the University of Tokyo Institute of Social Science, analyzing Shenzhen's transformation from an export processing base in the 1980s to its current status as a high-tech hub. He detailed how the Shenzhen government shifted to promoting high-tech enterprises in the late 1980s, creating fertile ground for private companies like Huawei, Tencent, and ZTE to grow, and the strategic industrial development through the 20+8 industrial cluster concept. The second presentation was "Structure and Challenges of 50 Years of Japan-China Exchange" by Kenji Hattori, Chairman of the Japan-China Association, analyzing the evolution of Japan-China relations from normalization in 1972 through stages including "opening," "friendship," "exchange," "reconciliation," "friction," "confrontation," and "improvement." He particularly discussed the role of Japan-China friendship organizations in "moving officials through civilian efforts" and structural changes in economic relations before and after WTO accession. Both presentations provide important perspectives for understanding the rapidly changing situation in China and current Japan-China relations.