Departing Ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa urged Beijing to value its economic and business ties with Tokyo despite the heightened tensions over the Senkaku Islands, dismissing views in China that it no longer needs Japan's help to develop its economy.
"If such views prevail (in China), it would be an extremely arrogant attitude," Niwa told reporters at the embassy Monday, two days before he was due to depart for home. "Such a thing would not happen in a globalized economy."
Citing rising economic interdependence between China and Japan, especially in trade and investment, Niwa said it will be difficult for China to promote its economy without exports, noting Beijing can still learn a lot from Japan economically, such as worker training and software development.