China and Japan have a history of over 2,000 years of interactions and more than 50 years of normalized diplomatic ties. This illustrates the importance of steering the bilateral relations in the right direction.

This was Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's message to the 20th Beijing-Tokyo Forum held in Tokyo, Japan, from December 3 to 5.

Representatives of the two governments, academia, and business communities of China and Japan came together to discuss the future of Sino-Japanese relations and cooperation in such areas as trade, digital economy, media, and youth exchanges.

In his video address, Wang suggested both countries should advance a mutually beneficial and win-win opening-up strategy.

"The economic interests and industrial and supply chains of China and Japan have been deeply intertwined. Both sides should cherish the cooperation that has already been formed, and jointly maintain the stability and smooth operation of the global free trade system and industrial and supply chains," he said.

At the event's sub-forum on the digital economy, Chinese and Japanese experts discussed AI governance and data sharing, emphasizing the importance of building a sustainable digital future through international partnership and cooperation.

Xu Zhilong, editor-in-chief of Science and Technology Daily, emphasized the increasing significance of AI technology amid the global wave of digital transformation. He said the international community is exploring establishing rules and order in the global digital landscape and China is committed to providing solutions for the development of the global AI sector through pragmatic actions.

Xu highlighted China's initiatives, such as the Global AI Governance Initiative proposed last year, which advocates for a universally accepted principle of "AI for good."

He also mentioned the recently announced Global Cross-Border Data Flow Cooperation Initiative, aimed at promoting international collaboration on data flow and creating an efficient, secure mechanism for data exchange.

Gao Shaolin, advisor at Peking University's Legal Artificial Intelligence Research Center, proposed enhancing legislative exchanges between the two countries to share experiences in AI governance. He suggested collaborative research on AI technical standards and joint efforts to promote the development of international standards in AI technology.

Fumihiko Kamio, director of research at Japan's Nomura Research Institute, said one of the benefits of using AI technology is enhanced productivity. So countries should consider not hindering productivity when formulating governance rules on AI.

The forum, themed "Restoring peace and rebuilding a global order based on multilateral cooperation through Japan-China cooperation," was co-organized by China International Communications Group and Genron NPO, a Japanese non-profit organization.