The First World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention held in Japan and its Impact
January 7 (Monday) 2008
Yan Zhu
Senior Fellow
Summary
- The Ninth World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention was held September 15th-17th, 2007 in Kobe and Osaka. The World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention, established in 1991, is a gathering of ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs (ethnic Chinese businesspeople and business managers) from around the world. Held for the ninth time this year, the convention is an opportunity for ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs active around the globe to come together, and the objectives are to establish global economic networks and stimulate the economic activity of ethnic Chinese living abroad. It also aims to promote exchange and business cooperation among ethnic Chinese, and contribute to the business community of the host nation as well as exchange with local citizens. It was the first time the convention was held in Japan.
The First World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention held in Japan
The opening ceremony on September 15th was attended by a total of 3,600 people, including 2,000 ethnic Chinese businesspeople from 33 countries as well as Japanese politicians, business leaders, academic luminaries and many ethnic Chinese and Chinese citizens living in Japan. Jia Qinglin, Chairman of the People’s Political Consultative Conference (equivalent to Senate leader, and the fourth ranking member of the Communist Party of China), headed a delegation to participate in the conference and delivered a speech. Former Prime Minister Abe was scheduled to address the conference, but could not participate due to his sudden resignation announcement. Tetsuzo Fuyushiba, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport offered remarks in his place. In addition, Yasuo Fukuda, introduced as a “strong candidate for prime minister”, provided a complimentary recorded speech.
Working sessions were held on September 16th, and experts and business managers from various fields offered lectures as instructors and participated in discussion on 11 different themes that were raised. Among these were sessions that focused on economic and industrial issues such as “Chinese Entrepreneurs’ Economic Sphere and the Japanese Economy”, “Dialogue with New Business Leaders”, “City Development and Lifestyles in Asia” and “Innovation from Industry-Government-Academia Cooperation”, as well as themes that examined relationships among ethnic Chinese, Asia, China, and Japan such as “Modern Asia and Overseas Chinese”, “Japan-China Media Dialogue” and “The World of Ethnic Chinese and Japan”. There were also themes focused on promoting Japan’s competitive edge and the Japanese economy such as “Natural Disasters and Company Activity”, “Asia-Japan Medical Exchange” and “Eco-innovation”. Attracted by the wide-array of themes and diversity of content as well as a star-studded cast of lecturers, including the first ethnic Chinese Noble Prize recipient, the chairman of Lenovo (leading Chinese global corporation) and the chairman of HSBC (major global bank), the sessions were attended by a total of 2,000 participants.
At the same time, to appeal to ethnic Chinese around the world, the Japanese government hosted the convention and called for investment into Japan from Chinese companies. In addition, the “’Beautiful and Vibrant Japan’ Invest Japan Visit Japan Joint Symposium”, promoting tourism in Japan among ethnic Chinese, and the “Investment and Financial Forum”, encouraging exchange between ethnic Chinese and Japanese investors, were timed to be held at the same time as the convention.
The closing ceremony, held on the 17th in Osaka, summed up the achievements of the convention such as exchange among ethnic Chinese and mutual understanding between ethnic Chinese and Japanese. It was also decided that the 10th convention would be held in Manila and the following 11th convention would take place in Singapore.
Accomplishments and Impact of the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention
This year’s World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention achieved significant results, and left an impact on both Japan and the world.
First, the ethnic Chinese community in Japan not only attracted worldwide attention, but made their presence felt in Japan as well. 700,000 Chinese residents in Japan are active in various fields in Japanese society. The ethnic Chinese community in Kobe, where the convention was held, boasts a history dating back 140 years, and is engaged in locally-based economic activity. In addition, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Japan, host of the convention, is a group of ethnic Chinese company managers that was established in 1999 and is comprised of about 200 members. The group includes a number of listed companies in Japan. In addition to the traditional companies owned by Chinese citizens in Japan, companies established by the so-called “new Chinese citizens”, such as Chinese students with experience studying in Japan after the “reform and opening up” policy, are now mainstream. Moreover, the primary focus of business is changing from the traditional restaurants and trade to the IT industry.
Second, the conference succeeded in promoting Japan to ethnic Chinese worldwide. Over 2,000 ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs visited Japan from various countries around the world, and gained a deeper understanding of Japanese society, culture, the economy and businesses. It was a chance for the entire Kansai region, and in particular Hyogo prefecture and Kobe city (where the convention was held) and Osaka (closing ceremonies), to connect with ethnic Chinese.
Third, the convention facilitated active exchange among ethnic Chinese companies and between ethnic Chinese companies and Japanese companies as well. Leading Japanese corporations such as All Nippon Airways, Matsushita (Panasonic) and Toyota sponsored the convention. Forums for exchange such as the “Exchange Salon” and the “Business Matching Fair” were provided at the convention, and mutual understanding between ethnic Chinese companies and Japanese companies was promoted. In the future, we can expect stimulation of the Japanese economy with the help of ethnic Chinese in areas such as investment and tourism.