TOKYO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China's Belt and Road Initiative will promote economic development of relevant countries as well as regional and world development, and Japan should actively participate in the initiative to achieve win-win cooperation, said Japanese economist Kiyoyuki Seguchi.

Seguchi, research director of the Canon Institute for Global Studies in Tokyo, made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Xinhua recently.

Talking about the theme of the ongoing Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2018, "An Open and Innovative Asia for a World of Greater Prosperity", Seguchi said that innovation is significant for maintaining the vitality of the free trade system, and Chinese and Japanese enterprises have a lot of potential for enhancing cooperation in this area.

He added that the Belt and Road Initiative will not only be a cornerstone for the stability and development of China, but will also promote infrastructure construction and economic development of the region.

Meanwhile, the initiative will also play an important role in maintaining the free-trade system in a long run and leading world economic development, he said.

Thus, Japan should actively participate in the initiative and join the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as soon as possible to support the initiative financially, he said.

As this year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up, Seguchi said the achievements China has made in the past 40 years are an incomparable miracle.

He said that China has become the world's No.2 economy, and the unprecedented achievements made by China have also been a contribution to the world economic development, and what China should do in the future is to stick to the direction of reform and opening up and never to waver.

Seguchi also acclaimed the increasingly important role Asia has been playing in the economic globalization of the world. He said that Asia has become the leading driving power in world economy and Asian countries should enhance cooperation and share with each other experiences so as to make the world a better place.

Regarding the rising "anti-globalization" trend currently facing the world, he said that it would largely hinder the economic integration and trade liberalization promoted by developing countries and should be stopped.

As trade protectionism is spreading in some western countries, developing countries including China should show the world the benefits of globalization by promoting further development of Asian economy through free trade, he said.