Chongqing-"Everywhere is full of vitality and considerably international. All kinds of enterprises are working on the exhibition. I feel that the WCIFIT would be a good stimulus for further cooperation between Chongqing and Japan," said Takada Mari, Consul General of Japan in Chongqing.

The Fourth Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade (WCIFIT) opened on July 22 in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.  During the fair, iChongqing conducted an exclusive interview with Takada Mari, Consul General of Japan in Chongqing.

"We sincerely hope that Chongqing residents will learn more about Japanese sake, so we cooperate with Jiu Ceng Jing Chuan (a local trading company) to put on a cultural display in the Japan pavilion and hold a Japanese sake presentation. I hope this will enhance the trade between Chongqing and Japan. We hope Japanese goods become more popular among Chongqing residents," said Takada Mari.

Since the 1980s, Yamaha, Honda, and other automobile-related manufacturing industries have entered Chongqing, making outstanding contributions to the trade between Chongqing and Japan, as well as Chongqing and the rest of the world. Takada Mari added that the new Panasonic factory is under construction in Chongqing, and some Japanese company is ready to set up a new branch in Chongqing.

With the recent remarkable development of Chongqing as an international consumer city, logistics, service, retail, and catering industries are developing fast in Chongqing. For example, Japanese convenience stores, such as this Lawson and 711, are very popular in Chongqing.

"Other than Japanese food and wine, we will continue to work on new fields such as environmental protection to promote Japan-China economic cooperation," said Consul General Takada Mari.

(Deng Mengyu, Yan Jundan, and Liu Jingjing, as interns, also contributed to the report.)