The chief executive of Mitsubishi has called for a more active strategy from the government to help Japanese companies counter increasing Chinese competition in their traditional stronghold of south-east Asia.
Katsuya Nakanishi said the Warren Buffett-backed trading house is on alert for decoupling risks as rising import tariffs in the US and Europe force China to expand its influence in Asean markets.
“One company can no longer win on its own,” Nakanishi said, in a Financial Times interview at the company headquarters in Tokyo. “The government should support companies and step in to compete against China since the competitor is so big.”