Hanoi (VNA) - State President Tran Dai Quang highlighted huge potential forVietnam-Japan cooperation across the fields, noting that the ExtensiveStrategic Partnership between the two nations is flourishing.

In a recent interviewgranted to the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, the Vietnamese Presidentaffirmed Vietnam and Japan have become important partners of each other in many fields.

Since the two nations upgraded their ties to the Extensive StrategicPartnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia in 2014, bilateral relationshave witnessed strong and comprehensive development, he said.

Regards political ties, the two sides have maintained high-level meetings, withthe highlights being visits to Vietnam in 2017 by Japanese Emperor Akihito andEmpress Michiko, and Japanese President Shinzo Abe. The year also marked a newdevelopment step in the relations as the two countries issued a joint statement on deepening the extensive strategic relationship during the officialvisit to Japan by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Vietnam and Japan haveclosely and effectively coordinated in multilateral forums such the UN, ASEAN,APEC and ASEM. In particular, Japan’s active involvement contributed toVietnam’s successful hosting of the 25th APEC Summit during theyear.

In the economic field, Japan is the largest ODA provider for Vietnam, and thefourth biggest trade partner of the country. In 2017, Japan became the leadingforeign investor in Vietnam, with over 2,500 Japanese companies operating inthe Southeast Asian country. The two countries are working together on manylarge-scale infrastructure and energy projects in Vietnam.

Japan’s ODA provision has significantly contributed to Vietnam’s socio-economicdevelopment.

Collaboration in terms of security-defence, agriculture, education-training andlabour have also recorded practical results.
Cooperative linksbetween localities of the two countries have been fostered with 37 pairs of localities setting up twinning relations. People-to-people exchangeactivities and cultural and tourism cooperation have been expanded, with230,000 Vietnamese now living and working in Japan and 16,000 Japanese inVietnam. Japan is the third largest source of tourists to Vietnam.

President Quang saidhe discussed with PM Shinzo Abe major orientations and specific measures to furtherbolster the bilateral ties in the time ahead on the sidelines of the APECEconomic Leaders’ Meeting in Da Nang last November.

He noted that the two sides agreed to enhance politicaltrust via maintaining visits and meetings at all levels, and dialoguemechanisms among their ministries, sectors and localities.

They will take advantage of their respective strengths to promote win-wincooperation and economic links. Vietnam will closely cooperate with Japan forthe more effective use ODA capital, while continuing to improve its investmentenvironment to facilitate Japanese firm’s operation in the country.

The two sides will also forge links in fields of good cooperative potential suchlabour, clean agriculture and hi-technology, he added.

The President stressed that with its policy on proactive international integration,Vietnam has been and will be a sincere friend, reliable partner and responsiblemember of the international community. In that spirit, the country willmaintain its close and effective collaboration with Japan at international andregional forums in issues of common concern for peace, stability and developmentin the region and the world as a whole.

He expressed his belief that the Vietnam-Japan Extensive Strategic Partnershipwill continue developing for the sake of the two people.

President Quang said in the time to come, Vietnam hopes for Japanese investmentand technology transfer in six priority sectors in Vietnam’s industrialisation strategy,including electronics, agricultural machines, farm and aquatic product processing,shipbuilding, environmental protection and energy saving, and automobileindustry.
Vietnam also wants tobenefit from Japan’s investment and technology in fields of its strengths suchas support industry, manufacturing, infrastructure development, energy, cleanagriculture, waste and waste water treatment.

The President also reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy to create favourableconditions for foreign investors, including those from Japan to operatebusiness and production activities in Vietnam.

Japanese direct investment in Vietnam totaledalmost 9 billion USD during January-November, 2017, a four-time increase fromthe figure of the entire 2016.-VNA