Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong expressed his belief that the Vietnam – Japan ties will further develop into a “communing”, “trustworthy”, and “sympathetic” relationship while talking to representatives of Japanese walks of life in Tokyo on September 17. In his speech, he reflected on the time-honoured bilateral ties that were founded on the grounds of cultural and trade exchanges hundreds of years ago. He said experiencing ups and downs in history of their relations, the two nations worked to weather all obstacles set up by the past and usher in new chapters holding firmly onto the motto “fostering trust, promoting economic links, expanding cooperation, boosting sustainable development and looking towards the future”. During the 17th and 18th century, numerous Japanese merchants landed central Hoi An town, leaving works deeply imbued with Japanese identity. At the onset of the 20 th century, such Vietnamese scholars as Phan Boi Chau and Phan Chu Trinh made their way to Japan to learn from its revolutionary success stories. The leader hailed the two countries’ economic cooperation since Japan has so far contributed up to 30 percent of the 90 billion USD official development assistance secured by Vietnam. Japan’s total direct capital inflows into Vietnam have topped 37.5 billion USD and two-way trade is likely to surpass 30 billion USD this year. Political ties between the two countries have been strengthened, leading to the establishment of an extensive strategic cooperative partnership while cultural and people-to-people exchanges have come a long way across diverse forms. The General Secretary also analysed extensively the current developments in the region and the world as well as challenges and opportunities for economic development, tension risks stemming from territorial and island disputes, including the recent tense East Sea situation. “We believe that a peaceful, stable, cooperative and prosperous Asia- Pacific requires regional countries, particularly major ones, to act transparently and responsibly in their relationship and to common regional and global interests,” he said. In addition, regional countries need to work together to seek efficient agreements and mechanisms to maintain peace, stability, and security while preventing disputes and wars and responding to emerging traditional and non-traditional security challenges, he stressed. The leader also mentioned Vietnam’s achievements during the 30-year renewal, major contents of the 12 th National Party Congress and the country’s foreign policy. On the vision for the bilateral ties, he stressed that fostering the bilateral friendship and cooperation suits the interest of the two people, the region and the world. Vietnam considers Japan its partner of top significance over the long term, he stated.-VNA