BEIJING (Kyodo) -- A group of Japanese business leaders on Monday urged China to address what it sees as Chinese firms' overproduction of steel and electric vehicles and sought a level playing field for foreign companies during a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.

The delegation of about 200 members, who are on a six-day trip to China through Friday, also explored bilateral economic cooperation at the talks amid intensifying U.S.-China trade frictions with the mutual imposition of tariffs.

The vice premier told the group at the outset of the meeting that the world now sees the rise of "protectionism and unilateralism" and expressed China's hope to strengthen ties with Japan, saying, "We are confident that your visit this time will play an important role in promoting Sino-Japanese as well as global trade."

Masakazu Tokura, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, known as Keidanren, said he believes it is essential for Japan and China, which have developed their economies through free and fair trade and investment, to "proactively comply with international rules and contribute to maintaining and strengthening international order."

Earlier in the day, members of the Japanese business group led by officials including Tokura and Ken Kobayashi, head of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, held talks with senior officials of China's National Development and Reform Commission.

An economic mission organized by Keidanren, Japan's largest business lobby, and some other groups has been visiting China almost every year since 1975.

During the last visit, held in January 2024, Premier Li Qiang met with the delegation. It was the first such trip since September 2019 after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.