Chongqing - On Jan. 16 -17, the Chongqing Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) invited consuls (general), consulate staff members, other diplomats to watch the live broadcast of Chongqing Two Sessions opening. Following the government work report made by acting mayor Hu Henghua, iChongqing interviewed Ms. Takada Mari, Consul-General of Japan in Chongqing, to share her insights on attending 2022 Chongqing Two Sessions.
"Today, I learned that Chongqing's GDP grew 8.3% last year. I salute the efforts of getting the economy going while fighting the pandemic at the same time," said Ms. Takada after hearing the government work report. "I'm impressed by China's successful epidemic control efforts over the past year."
As the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan approaches, Ms. Takada said that the consulate would take a series of initiatives to strengthen the bilateral exchanges and the constructive relationship between China and Japan.
"One of my takeaways from the government work report is Chongqing's highly-developed transit systems, especially the idea of 'TOD' (Transit-Oriented Development)," said Takada. "TOD is well-developed in Japan. Japanese enterprises have been working closely with Chengdu in TOD, and we are seeking to contribute to Chongqing's TOD as well."
Ms. Takada said she also looks forward to furthering exchanges in many areas, including food, culture, economy, and people. "Chongqing and Southwest China are not well known by the Japanese people, which leaves room for a wide range of cooperation. According to the government work report, Chongqing plans to build the Mid-West International Communication Center. 'Communication,' from my understanding, is the communication between people," said Ms. Takada.
In addition, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement came into force on Jan. 1, 2022. Ms. Takada says that RCEP, aiming to "enhance regional economic connectivity," will have "a positive impact" on trade, investment, and finance between China and Japan.