Greetings,
"The Council on East Asian Community (CEAC) E-Letter" is delivered electronically bimonthly, free of charge, to readers in the world interested in Japanese thinking on an East Asian Community and other related international affairs by the Council on East Asian Community (CEAC), all-Japan intellectual platform for the study of an East Asian Community.
It will provide the global audience with our news on "CEAC Updates" and "CEAC Commentary."
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WATANABE Mayu, President, CEAC
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"CEAC
Updates"
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FREE INVITATION
Japan-Australia Symposium "Deepening and Expanding the Australia-Japan Relationship: Security, Trade and Human Exchange"
Sharing fundamental values and strategic interests, Australia and Japan have significantly deepened their cooperative relationship in recent years. In particular, in the area of security, the Australia-Japan Facilitation Agreement was signed in January last year, and the Australia-Japan Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation was issued at the Australia-Japan Summit in October, with a view to dealing with China. With the international order shaken up by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the conflict between the United States and China, strengthening the Australia-Japan partnership in various areas, including security, the economy, and energy, is extremely important for the peace and stability of the international community.
Based on the above awareness of the issues, the Japan Forum on International Relations (JFIR), a sister organization of CEAC, invites experts from Japan, Australia, and Hawaii to Tokyo for a symposium on "Deepening and Expanding the Australia-Japan Relationship: Security, Trade and Human Exchange" to the following effect:
Date: Thursday, 13 July, 2023
Time: 13:30 to 16:30
Venue: Global Hall, Global Front, Surugadai Campus, Meiji University (Address: 1-1 Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)( https://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/english/about/campus/su_campus.html )
Language: English-Japanese simultaneous interpretation
Program: 13:30 Opening WATANABE Mayu, President, JFIR
13:45 Session 1 "Japan-Australia Cooperation for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific"
Moderator: ITO Go, Professor, Meiji University
Keynote Speaker A: ITO Go, Professor, Meiji University
Keynote Speaker B: Thomas Wilkins, Senior Fellow, Australian Strategic Policy Institute
Keynote Speaker C: HATAKEYAM Kyoko, Professor, Niigata Prefectural University
Comment: Virginia Watson, Professor, Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies
Q&A and plenary discussion
15:00 Break
15:10 Session 2 "Towards a Stronger Australia-Japan Partnership"
Moderator: ITO Go, Professor, Meiji University
Keynote Speaker A: David Walton, Associate Professor, University of Western Sydney
Keynote Speaker B: AKIMOTO Daisuke, Visiting Fellow, Temple University
Keynote Speaker C: Lauren Richardson, Lecturer, The Australian National University
Comment: SUZUKI Taketo, Professor, Meiji University
Q&A and plenary discussion
16：25 Closing
Register:https://forms.gle/VwCxpQnmYebo3ZiA6
"CEAC Commentary"
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"CEAC Commentary" presents views of members and/or friends of CEAC on an East Asian Community and other related international affairs. The view expressed herein is the author's own and should not be attributed to CEAC.
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No.142 "A Missed Opportunity for the Internationalization of the Yen and Expansion of Yuan Settlement"
By SANADA Yukimitsu
University Professor
Following the 1997 Asian currency crisis, the Japanese government attempted to promote the “internationalization of the yen.” During that time, a committee was formed for this purpose, and I was a part of it. I argued that yen internationalization would be challenging unless Japan became a major importer, expanding imports not only of raw materials but also products from developing countries, particularly in Asia. I also stressed the importance of increasing yen settlements for both imports and exports. Unfortunately, Japan missed an opportunity to internationalize the yen at that time as the growth in imports from abroad remained slow and the ratio of yen settlements did not increase significantly.
By contrast, mainland China is currently experiencing growth in both exports and imports with its partner countries. As a result, the ratio of yuan trade settlements, especially with countries weaker than mainland China, is steadily increasing. Additionally, mainland China has been organizing the “China International Import Expo” in Shanghai for several years, aimed at expanding imports from overseas. The expo has attracted approximately 3,000 companies and organizations from around 130 countries and regions, making it a comprehensive trade fair focused on imports. Japan has also set up a pavilion, led by JETRO, to develop and expand sales channels for Japanese agricultural and marine products, as well as foodstuffs, in mainland China. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions, the pavilion was designed to be both a physical exhibition and a video-based exposition, utilizing digital technology to its fullest extent.
The mainland Chinese government has emphasized the significance of these efforts, stating its intention to “strengthen economic cooperation with the rest of the world through increased imports.” The Japanese booth has been given priority during the expo, with participation from approximately 300 small and medium-sized companies. Notable participants include camping brands, facial brands, sake producers, and companies like Microsoft and Meta. These participants intend to use RCEP as a mechanism to achieve tariff-free trade. The expo also showcases new drugs developed in Japan. The event assumes an exhibition-and-sale format, and visitors can directly shop at the exhibition by scanning QR codes on the products to have them shipped to their homes.
I see these moves by mainland China as a means to expand yuan settlements, specifically digital yuan-based settlement. It is also expected that the exhibitions will feature advanced technologies that mainland China could potentially acquire.
(This is an English translation of an outline of the lecture delivered by SANADA Yukimitsu, University Professor, which originally appeared on the e-forum "Hyakka-Somei (Hundred Ducks in Full Voice)" of CEAC on June 20, 2023 and was posted on "CEAC Commentary" on June 30, 2023.)
For more views and opinions in the backnumber of "CEAC Commentary," the latest of which are as
follows, please refer to:
http://www.ceac.jp/e/commentary.htm
No.141 "Dark Struggle between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea"
by UDAGAWA Keisuke, Writer/Journalist
(April 20, 2023)
No.140 " ASEAN and the Philippines in the midst of U.S.？China Tension"
by KIBA Saya, Associate Professor, Kobe City University of Foreign Studies
(January 10, 2023)
No.139 "The Cambodian People's Party's Affinity toward China: Trends in Cambodian Politics"
by YAMADA Hiroshi, Associate Professor, Niigata University of International and Information Studies
(January 9, 2023)
No.138 "How to Overcome the Gap between Geopolitical Tension and Economic Reality"
by KIMURA Fukunari, Professor, Keio University / Chief Economist, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
(November 14, 2022)
No.137 "Singaporean foreign policy in a shifting international order"
by KOGA Kei, Assistant Professor, School of Social Sciences / S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University
(November 9, 2022)
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