On January 16, Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong, President Tran Dai Quang and National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan affirmed Vietnam's desire to deepen extensive strategic partnership with Japan while receiving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Hanoi.

Meeting with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, the Party leader reiterated Vetnam’s unwavering policy of further deepening its extensive strategic partnership with Japan for the benefit of the two countries’ people and for peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.

He suggested the two nations should continue to consolidate political trust via the maintenance of regular exchanges and meetings at all levels, especially visits between senior leaders of the two States, governments and legislatures, as well as intensify people-to-people exchanges. 

 He also hailed the practical and effective support that Japan has provided for Vietnam’s socio-economic development over the past years, especially its official development assistance to Vietnam in the fields of high-quality infrastructure and human resources training, support industry, agriculture, and climate change response. 

 The Vietnamese leaders and people expect the upcoming visit by the Japanese Emperor and Empress, he said, adding that it will mark a new milestone that further deepens bilateral ties and friendship between the two peoples. 

 Abe, for his part, briefed the host on the outcomes of talks with his Vietnamese counterpart. 

 He affirmed that Japan continues prioritising ODA to Vietnam and wishes to enhance coordination in infrastructure development and high-quality human resources training.

 He said he believed that the visit between the two countries’ leaders, especially the upcoming one by the Japanese Emperor and Empress will elevate Japan-Vietnam ties to a higher level.

 Receiving the Japanese PM, President Tran Dai Quang applauded Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s role in and devotion to nurturing the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership.

He noted with satisfaction the strong, comprehensive and substantive development of the extensive strategic partnership with high political trust.

 Vietnam sticks importance to all-round cooperation with Japan and considers this a priority in its foreign policy, Quang said, adding that his country warmly welcomes the first State visit by the Japanese Emperor and Queen and regards the trip as an important symbol of bilateral ties. Vietnamese agencies are working closely with the Japanese side to prepare for the visit.

 The host also repeated an invitation to PM Abe to attend the APEC Summit slated for November 2017 in Vietnam.

 He highly valued the outcomes of the talks between the Vietnamese and Japanese PMs, adding that the common perceptions they reached at this event will be a new driving force for the extensive strategic partnership.

 The two countries should maintain high-level visits and meetings, increase delegation exchanges between ministries, sectors and localities, and enhance people-to-people links, he noted.

 They should also beef up result-oriented cooperation in defence-security, such as the Japanese Government’s assistance to Vietnam to improve the capacity of its law enforcement force at sea.

 President Quang asked both sides to strengthen partnership in investment, trade, ODA provision and in the fields they have potential in and can support each other like labour, agriculture, education-training, locality-to-locality cooperation, and tourism. They need to continue close coordination and mutual support at international and regional forums such as the United Nations, the East Asia Summit, ASEAN Plus, APEC, and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).

 PM Shinzo Abe reiterated his Government’s wish to solidify the extensive strategic partnership with Vietnam. He agreed with the Vietnamese President’s opinions on measures to augment bilateral relations.

 He thanked the Southeast Asian nation for making thorough preparations for the State visit by the Japanese Emperor and Queen, stressing that his country also considers this visit as a symbol of their friendship and all-faceted cooperation.

 The Japanese Government is ready and pledges to cooperate closely with Vietnam in APEC initiatives. It will also give wholehearted support to the country to successfully organise APEC events throughout 2017, he added.

At her meeting with Shinzo Abe, NA leader Ngan said the National Assembly, Government and people of Vietnam attach special importance to the extensive strategic partnership with Japan, regarding Japan as a top and long-term partner.

She expressed her delight at the outcomes of talks between the guest and the Vietnamese PM, during which, the Japanese side pledged the continued supply of official development assistance and other additional support programmes to Vietnam, especially in coping with saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta. 

 Japan is currently the top economic partner, fourth largest ODA provider, second largest investor and fourth largest trade partner of Vietnam, she said. 

 The Vietnamese top legislator noted with joy flourishing ties between the two law-making bodies, including the exchange of delegations and meetings on the sidelines of international conferences, and increased exchanges between the friendship parliamentarians’ alliances and young parliamentarians of the two nations. 

 She proposed maintaining high-level contacts between the two governments and parliaments, and wished that Japan would help Vietnam with personnel training, climate change response, investment and trade while increasing ties across culture, education and people-to-people exchange. 

 Abe, in reply, called for further strengthening collaboration in many levels, including between the two law-making bodies. 

 As the largest ODA provider to Vietnam, Japan wants to make great contributions to Vietnam’s socio-economic development, with a focus on high-quality infrastructure construction, he said, adding that he agrees with the host’s proposal to elevate cooperation between localities. 

 On the Trans-Pacific Partnership, he informed that Japan has adopted the deal. The Vietnamese NA Chairwoman said Vietnam is actively making preparations and expects other member states to promptly adopt the pact. 

 Host and guest also underscored the importance of ensuring peace, security and safety in the region, saying that parties concerned need to speed up the settlement of disputes by peaceful means and fully respect diplomatic process and international law.