Vietnamese, Japanese FMs hold phone talks on COVID-19 combat
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (FM) Pham Binh Minh held phone talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu on March 31 to discuss cooperation amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - Deputy Prime Minister and ForeignMinister (FM)♛ Pham Binh Minh held phone talks with Japanese Foreign Minister MotegiToshimitsu on March 31 to discuss cooperation amid the complicated developmentsof the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minh spoke highly of the assistance the Japanese Government and people have provided for Vietnam in the fight against the pandemic, and suggested the Japanese Government continue supporting the Vietnamese community inJapan in COVID-19 prevention and control. As ASEAN Chair 2020, Vietnam is actively promoting the bloc's concerted efforts and collaboration with partners in the field, he said. Toshimitsu, for his part, highly valued drastic measures undertaken by Vietnam to fight COVID-19. He thanked the Vietnamese Government for its endeavours to ensure safety for 20,000 Japanese living and working in the Southeast Asian country. He also affirmed that the Japanese Government will make every effort to ensure safety for Vietnamese citizens in Japan. Japan will continue actively assisting Vietnam in coping with the epidemic, he said, adding that apart from biologicals worth 20 millionJPY (some 184,600 USD) provided for Vietnam in February and March, Japan will offer aid worth atleast 200 million JPY (1.84 million USD) via international organisations. Both sides highlighted the importance of internationalcooperation in the fight against COVID-19 as well as the sharing of information and experiencein vaccine production, medical equipment, citizen protection, among others. The Japanese side also pledged to partner with Vietnam to step up the joint work in the field within the ASEAN cooperationframework./.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on March 23 sent a letter to his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, expressing sympathies for the Japanese people over the losses caused by COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc received outgoing Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Umeda Kunio in Hanoi on March 24, highlighting the two countries’ stronger relations during the diplomat’s tenure.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh presented the Friendship Order to Japanese outgoing ambassador Umeda Kunio during a ceremony in Hanoi on March 25.
The General Department of Vietnam Customs has reported that the Vietnam – Japan trade reached 6.2 billion USD in the first two months of this year, an 8.6-percent increase from a year earlier.
Since the signing of the Vietnam-Cambodia trade and economic cooperation agreement, trade and investment ties have seen remarkable growth, substantially contributing to each country's socio-economic development and facilitating collaboration in various spheres, said Ambassador Nguyen Minh Vu.
Representatives of the overseas community and students expressed their gratitude for the Party and State’s support, their delight at growing Vietnam–China ties, and their commitment to preserving the Vietnamese identities abroad.
PM Pham Minh Chinh reiterated Vietnam’s readiness to continue dispatching agricultural experts to support Senegal’s food security through increasingly effective and innovative methods.
NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man expressed confidence that the legislature will soon apply AI and digital transformation more broadly, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of its legislative, supreme supervision, and decision-making functions on critical national matters.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President and CEO of the World Economic Forum Borge Brende discussed Vietnam’s new development vision and its experience in building an independent, self-reliant and globally-integrated economy, and navigating global instability through proactive diplomacy.
Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Interim Chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), and Borge Brende, WEF President and CEO, commended Vietnam’s flexible and effective economic governance and its strong economic performance.
The two PMs agreed on measures to strengthen bilateral relations in the future, especially the prompt signing of an action plan for implementing the countries' comprehensive strategic partnership, and the launch of upgraded VSIPs to include hi-tech parks, urban areas, and commercial zones.
PM Chinh requested ERIA to maintain close coordination with Vietnamese agencies and research institutes to promote policy research and consultations, and help the country increase productivity, quality, and competitiveness of the economy, especially in digital transformation, green transition, and circular economy, to contribute to achieving the rapid, sustainable development and double-digit economic growth goals it has set out for the coming decades.
The new Quang Tri province will include 78 commune-level units and features key assets such as the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a long coastline, historical landmarks, three international border gates, deep-water ports, a modern transport network, and two airports.
The rehearsal took place at the National Military Training Centre No. 4, the Vietnam National University - Hanoi, and the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism, involving more than 7,400 officers and soldiers.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa on June 25 on the sidelines of the 16th Annual Meeting of the New Champions of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Tianjin city, China, during which he affirmed Vietnam attaches great importance to its multifaceted cooperation with Ecuador and proposes continued dialogue, negotiation, and signing of cooperation agreements in trade, investment, finance, and agriculture.
A working visit to Toulouse by Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang from June 23–25 has laid important groundwork for expanding multi-sector cooperation between Vietnam and the Occitanie region.
Prof. Dr. Georgy Toloraia, Executive Director of the National Committee for BRICS Research and Director of the Centre for Russian Strategy in Asia at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, expressed his confidence that Vietnam will become a substantial and influential partner of BRICS.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed enhancing economic and trade cooperation, including the development of railway connectivity between Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan, which will also strengthen links with Central Asian nations.
The new law abolishes the death penalty for eight criminal offenses: the crime aimed at overthrowing the people’s government; the crime of sabotaging state infrastructure and technical facilities; the crime of producing and trading counterfeit medicines for treatment and prevention; the crime of destroying peace and causing aggressive war; the crime of espionage; that of illegally transporting narcotics; embezzlement; and bribe taking.
Vietnam will continue to coordinate closely with and make positive contributions to the initiatives and collective work of the Group of 77 (G77) developing nations, said Ambassador Do Hung Viet, head of the Vietnamese Permanent Mission to the UN.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (Photo: VNA) 
