[Video/iqilu.com]

Yutaka Yokoi, Japanese Ambassador to China, sent a congratulatory video to the Japan-Shandong Industrial Cooperation and Exchange event, which opened on July 30 in Jinan, provincial capital of Shandong province.

In the video, Yokoi expressed his delight that the event has managed to resume exchanges between China and Japan that were previously postponed or cancelled due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

He also noted that many famous Chinese historical figures who are well-known in Japan, such as Confucius and Mencius, hail from Shandong.

"As Confucius said: 'If you want to do a good job, you must first use your tools.' The event held here today brings people from all walks of life from Shandong and Japan together to build a platform for industrial cooperation between China and Japan in various fields, laying a solid foundation for practical cooperation between the two countries in the future," he said.

Yokoi pointed out that Shandong province, which lies just across the sea from Japan, has been the gateway for exchanges between the two countries since ancient times.

He added that Shandong province is today a huge and vibrant market with a population of more than 100 million, making it an attractive destination for Japanese investors. To date, about 1,800 Japanese companies have invested in Shandong.

During the Shandong delegation's visit to Japan last year, Liu Jiayi, Party secretary of Shandong, expressed hope that the two sides will enhance exchanges in areas such as science, technology, culture and medicine.

"Shandong province regards Japan as an important partner in opening up to the outside world. While fighting the epidemic, Shandong is ramping up efforts to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Japan," he said.

"Shandong province is a partner with unlimited potential for Japan."