The 2026 China Development Forum, to be held from March 23 to 24, did not invite Japanese representatives to the high-level meetings. This has caused embarrassment and deep concern in Japan, and has also drawn external attention.
The absence of Japanese representatives at the 2026 China Development Forum is an "diplomatic signal" based on the current temperature of Sino-Japanese political relations. It is not merely a matter of commercial arrangements, but rather a direct manifestation of the tension in political relations in the economic and trade field.
According to internal lists obtained by multiple media outlets, including the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, none of the nearly 80 foreign enterprise executives attending this year's forum are from Japanese companies. This contrasts sharply with the situation in the 2025 forum, where four Japanese company representatives attended. A Japanese official said that Japanese companies "seem not to have been invited."
The China Development Forum is the most important national-level publicity platform after the Two Sessions, with the Premier of the State Council and several senior financial officials delivering speeches. The absence of Japanese representatives at this event sends a very clear message:
While welcoming business leaders from the US, Europe, and South Korea (such as Cook, Lee Jae-yong, and Mercedes CEO), it closes the door only to Japanese companies, aiming to pressure the Japanese government to clearly understand the cost of provoking China's core interests.
The forum is a key window for understanding China's future policy direction. The absence of Japanese companies means they may miss out on critical information such as the interpretation of the "14th Five-Year Plan," macroeconomic policy adjustments, and so on, putting them at a disadvantage compared to their South Korean and Western European counterparts who are present.
As an Asian neighbor and major trading partner, the exclusion of Japanese companies from China's highest-level economic and trade forum directly reflects the dilemma of the Japanese government's current policy toward China - wanting to maintain economic ties while following the U.S. closely on security and political issues, leading to a further solidification of the "cold politics and cold economy" bilateral relationship.
This incident is a clear response from China to recent negative actions by Japan concerning China, particularly touching the red line on the Taiwan issue. It indicates that a lack of sincerity on issues concerning China's core interests will make it difficult to maintain the "comfortable atmosphere" of high-level economic and trade exchanges between the two countries.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1860362146998272/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.