From July 14 to 20, Professor Da Wei, Director of the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) at Tsinghua University, and Associate Professor Li Chen, CISS Nonresident Senior Fellow and Deputy Dean of the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China, attended an academic conference in Japan. During their visit, they engaged in exchanges with counterparts from the United States and Japan and visited various political, business, and academic institutions.

On July 15, Da Wei and Li Chen participated in a trilateral seminar titled “Securing East Asian Peace: Meeting Challenges and Managing Conflicts,” organized by the Henry Luce Foundation, at the University of Tokyo (UTokyo). They engaged in discussions with American scholars from Seton Hall University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brookings Institution, American University, University of Toronto, and Indiana University, Japanese scholars from the UTokyo and Waseda University, and Chinese scholars from Peking University, the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS), South China University of Technology, and the University of Macau. The experts at the seminar discussed major trends in the current security situation in East Asia, significant changes in the China-U.S., China-Japan, and U.S.-Japan relations, arms race and competition in science and technology, and regional hotspot issues, etc. On July 16, the Chinese and American scholars attended a bilateral academic seminar titled “Reshaping the New Era of China-U.S. Peaceful Coexistence” at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in Japan. Scholars from both sides held in-depth discussions on topics like China-U.S. strategic relations, people-to-people and educational exchanges, the Taiwan question, and global challenges.

A group photo of scholars participating in the trilateral academic seminar on July 15

On July 17, the American and Chinese scholars visited the Japan Foundation and exchanged views with scholars from the National Defense Academy of Japan, Meiji University, Sophia University, and UTokyo.

American and Chinese scholars visited the Japan Foundation

On July 18 and 19, Da Wei, Li Chen, and Shao Yuqun, Director of the Institute for Taiwan, Hong Kong & Macau Studies at the SIIS, visited Japanese government institutions, think tanks, and enterprises.

The delegation also paid courtesy visits to Keiichi Iwamoto, Deputy Director-General of the Asian and Oceania Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Miyamoto Shingo, Deputy Director-General of the North American Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Tomiko Ichikawa, Director-General of the Japan Institute of International Affairs affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Both sides exchanged views on the Japan-U.S. alliance, China-Japan relations, the North Korean nuclear issue, and Japan’s security strategy. Professor Da and his delegation also visited the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) Central Committee and met with Ogata Yasuo, Vice Chair of JCP, to discuss the similarities and differences among the views of Japan’s major political parties on major issues.

The delegation visited Keiichi Iwamoto, Deputy Director-General of the Asian and Oceania Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

The delegation visited Miyamoto Shingo, Deputy Director-General of the North American Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

The delegation visited Tomiko Ichikawa, Director-General of the Japan Institute of International Affairs

The delegation visited Ogata Yasuo, Vice Chair of JCP

In terms of the Japanese business community, the delegation also visited the Head Office of the Mitsubishi Corporation and discussed the company’s energy transformation strategy and its primary business activities in China and the United States. Moreover, they delivered a lecture for the “Tsinghua University Sun Wenshu” program at Chuo University in Japan, where they exchanged views with the attending Japanese companies on topics such as China-U.S. relations, the Taiwan question, and the lessons learned from the Cold War for current international relations.

The delegation visited the Head Office of the Mitsubishi Corporation

This visit has expanded and enriched the cooperative relationship between CISS and various sectors in Japan, especially colleges and universities and think tanks. Through the participation and visits, the Chinese scholars have gained a deeper understanding of the strategic directions of the United States and Japan, as well as the difficulties and challenges faced by China-U.S. and China-Japan relations. The Chinese scholars’ introduction of the Chinese government and society’s views on relevant issues also helps to eliminate misunderstandings and manage differences with the countries concerned.