President Tran Dai Quang has affirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy of continuing to regard Japan as its leading and long-term partner.

President Tran Dai Quang (R) and Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida

At a reception for visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in Hanoi on May 6, the State leader noted with joy the fruitful developments of the bilateral cooperation in various areas, as well as the enhanced mutual political trust.

 Lauding economic, trade and investment ties between the two countries, he thanked the Japanese Government, the National Diet (Japan’s National Assembly) and people for their support for Vietnam ’s efforts in socio-economic development and poverty reduction via the official development assistance (ODA) over the years.

 Vietnam and Japan share similarities in strategic interests as well as concerns over both bilateral and multilateral collaboration, the host said, adding that the growing bilateral relationship matches the interests and aspirations of their people and contributes to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region.

 He also used the occasion to thank Fumio Kishida for his valuable support to Vietnam and the bilateral ties, mentioning a 500 million JPY (US$4.7 million) aid package the Japanese side has committed during the Foreign Minister’s official visit to Vietnam in 2014, to help the country raise its capacity in maritime law enforcement forces.

 The leader suggested the two sides increase their exchange of visits and meetings at all levels to increase mutual understanding while tightening their coordination at regional and international forums.

 He called on Japan to continue its affiliation with Vietnam in economy, trade, investment, ODA, agriculture and climate change response, and assist the country in sustainable development, economic restructuring, improving competitiveness and high-quality human resources development.

 President Tran Dai Quang appealed to Japan to step up its technological transfer and facilitate Vietnamese farm produce’s presence in the local market, in tandem with supporting the country’s bids to run for a nonpermanent seat in the UN Security Council for 2020-2021.

 Expressing his sympathy over human and property losses caused by consecutive earthquakes in Kumamoto prefecture last April, the leader voiced his hope that the Japanese Government and people will swiftly overcome such devastating consequences to stabilise their lives.

 He asked the Foreign Minister to convey his invitations to the Emperor, the Empress and other royal members of Japan and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to visit Vietnam at an early date.

 Consenting to the host’s proposals, Fumio Kishida affirmed Japan ’s stance of attaching importance to cooperation with Vietnam , especially in regional and international issues of shared concern.

 Japan strongly backs the peaceful settlement of disputes at sea in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea , and quickly reaching a Code of Conduct in the East Sea , he said.

 He noted his hope that the eighth meeting of the Vietnam-Japan Cooperation Committee will reap successes, contributing to accelerating the effectuation of high-level agreements and elevating the strategic cooperation between the two countries.

Committee holds 8th meeting to cement Viet Nam-Japan ties

The eighth meeting of the Viet Nam-Japan Co-operation Committee also took place in Hà Nội on May 06, 2016, co-chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Kishida.

The two sides agreed to enhance political trust through regular high-ranking visits and meetings at all levels. They reached a consensus on stronger co-operation regarding the economy, trade, investment, education and healthcare.

Accordingly, Japan will continue promoting investment in Viet Nam through phase six of the Viet Nam-Japan Joint Initiative this year. It will implement big projects, including the North-South expressway, the Ninh Thuận 2 nuclear power plant and an industrialisation strategy.

The officials also agreed that Japan will consider support to Viet Nam in building a fundamental and long-term response plan for drought and saline intrusion, which are devastating the central and southern regions.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Minh asked Japan to facilitate the granting of visas for Vietnamese citizens. At a press conference following the meeting, Minh underscored that Japan remains a leading and long-term partner in his country’s foreign policy after the recent 12th National Party Congress.

He said he appreciated the Japanese Government’s provision of $2.5 billion in ODA loans in the fiscal year 2015, while proposing the continuation of ODA funding at a high level.

Kishida pledged that Japan will strongly assist Viet Nam in socio-economic development through providing ODA in high-quality infrastructure building, competitiveness improvement, manpower training and climate change response.

Japan will co-operate with Viet Nam during the implementation of a credit package worth 110 billion JPY (nearly $1.03 billion) that helps Asian countries develop high-quality infrastructure, along with the funding of 750 billion JPY ($7.01 billion) under the Japan-Mekong Connectivity Initiative, launched on May 2, Kishida added.

The two officials also announced that they discussed regional and international matters of mutual interest, including the recent situation in the East Sea.

They shared the view that the concerned parties in the East Sea must strive to ensure peace, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the waters. They should settle disputes by peaceful means, adhere to international law and refrain from actions that change the status quo, complicate and expand disputes, or increase militarisation in the East Sea.

At the end of the committee’s meeting, the two sides inked a diplomatic note on the Japanese Government’s provision of a 20.97 billion JPY ($196 million) ODA loan in the fiscal year 2015 for phase two of the water environment improvement project in HCM City.

The document also includes the Japanese Government’s non-refundable aid worth 500 million JPY ($4.67 million) for supplying medical equipment to Viet Nam in the same fiscal year.

In addition, Kishida and Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha signed another diplomatic note on the Japanese Government’s non-refundable aid valued at 390 million JPY ($3.65 million) for a project on human resources development scholarships in the fiscal year 2016.