China, Japan hold forum in Beijing to explore paths to modernization

The second China-Japan Forum on Friendship and People-to-People Exchange opened in Beijing on Sunday, convening senior officials, diplomats, and scholars from both nations to revitalize modernization dialog and strengthen bilateral understanding.

Jointly hosted by the China Human Rights Development Foundation and the Japan-China Friendship Center, this year's forum centered on the theme: "Dialog on Modernization: Exploring the Past and Future of China and Japan."

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China, Japan hold forum in Beijing to explore paths to modernization

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China, Japan hold forum in Beijing to explore paths to modernization

"We first launched China-Japan Forum on Friendship and People-to-People Exchange in Tokyo last year, and I am glad that this forum continues to develop in the form of academic exchanges between Japan and China," said Yuji Miyamoto, President of the Japan-China Friendship Center.

Since the late 1970s, Japan has been among the first nations to support and participate in China's modernization efforts - a partnership that has shaped decades of mutual development.

"Bilateral trade volume between China and Japan has surged from less than one billion U.S. dollars at the time of normalization of diplomatic relations to consistently exceeding 300 billion dollars annually in recent years," said Cheng Yonghua, Executive Vice President of Japan-China Friendship Association.

But as both countries enter new phases of development, the scope for cooperation extends far beyond economic ties.

"Both China and Japan are facing common societal challenges: declining birthrates, aging populations, environmental concerns, disaster preparedness. We must transcend borders and engage in open dialog to find solutions together," said Kenji Kanasugi, Japanese ambassador to China.

Sunday's discussions continue across four sub-forums, delving into high-quality development, modern governance, future-oriented China-Japan cooperation, and drawing lessons from history to promote global peace and sustainable progress.

China's outstanding aggregate social financing -- the total amount of financing to the real economy -- reached 442.12 trillion yuan (about 63.4 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of 2025, up 8.3 percent year on year, central bank data showed on Thursday.

The country's aggregate social financing stood at 35.6 trillion yuan (about 5.1 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2025, up by 3.34 trillion yuan (about 479 billion U.S. dollars) from the year 2024, said the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank.

According to the data, the M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, increased 8.5 percent year on year to 340.29 trillion yuan (about 48.8 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of December.

In addition, outstanding yuan loans stood at 271.91 trillion yuan (about 39 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of 2025, up 6.4 percent year on year.