By Naoyuki Fukuda in Beijing

A joint delegation to China comprising the Japan-China Economic Association and two other major economic groups wrapped up three days of meetings with Chinese government officials on Sept.12. The two sides occasionally demonstrated signs of a good economic relationship as Beijing is approaching Tokyo against the backdrop of conflict between the U.S. and China. On the other hand, the meetings highlighted disagreements between the two sides on many issues, including the free flow of data across borders sought by the Japanese group.

During a meeting held on Sept. 11 between the Japanese delegation and China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which is responsible for industrial technology, China showed strong interest in Japan’s ultra-high definition. A senior official of the Chinese ministry listened intently to the explanation given by Sony Executive Vice President Toshimoto Mitomo and asked him, “What sorts of plans do you have to promote the application of ultra-high definition in the 4K and 8K industries?”

Meanwhile, multiple speakers from the Japanese delegation, who are eager to capitalize for business on the data of the world’s second-largest economy with a population of 1.4 billion, expressed concerns about data hoarding by China. The senior Chinese ministry official maintained a cautious stance and replied, “Cross-border data flow is premised on security and we need a system to ensure security.”