Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s official visit to Japan from June 4-8 has contributed to consolidating the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership, said Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung. 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe at a press conference following their talks

In an interview granted to the press after the visit, the Deputy FM noted that while in Japan, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc held talks and meetings with the highest leaders of the Japanese political circle, including the Emperor and Empress, the Prime Minister, Presidents of the upper and lower houses of parliament. The PM also met leaders of major political parties, several prefectures, and economic organisations. 

He underlined that during the meetings, the two sides reached consensus on major orientations and specific measures to deepen the relations in all aspects, from politics to economy, official development assistance (ODA), trade, culture, education and cooperation between localities. 

They re-affirmed that Vietnam and Japan are important strategic partners of each other, and share many similarities in strategic interests. 

The two sides agreed to intensify political trust and maintain high-level visits and meetings, Deputy Minister Trung said, adding that PM Shinzo Abe applauded the role and position played by Vietnam in Japan’s foreign policy and pledged to attend and provide comprehensive support for Vietnam’s hosting of the APEC Summit Meeting slated for November in the central city of Da Nang. 

The two countries committed to closely coordinate with each other at multilateral forums like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and the UN. 

The Japanese side said it stands ready to provide more patrol ships for Vietnam to help the country improve the capacity of local law enforcement forces. 

Regarding the East Sea issue, both sides were unanimous on the importance of ensuring peace, security, maritime and aviation safety and freedom. Concerned parties should not take any unilateral actions, including militarization or changing the status quo and further complicating or expanding disputes in the sea.

Trung noted that the two countries also agreed that disputes should be settled through peaceful means with full respect for diplomatic and legal processes and international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), while fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and striving for the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC). 

In the field of economic and investment ties, the Deputy Minister said Japan pledged to continue its ODA for Vietnam with priority given to reform, infrastructure construction, personnel training and climate change response. 

Vietnamese and Japanese leaders were determined to double the bilateral trade in 2020 from the current 30 billion USD, first of all creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese litchis and longans to enter the Japanese market and Japanese oranges and mandarins to enter Vietnam. 

According to the Deputy FM, a focus of the trip was investment promotion. The PM and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe attended an investment promotion conference, the largest event of its kind ever held in Japan, with the participation of more than 1,600 businesses of the two countries. PM Phuc also co-chaired four seminars and dialogues with over 100 leading Japanese economic organisations and firms in Tokyo and Kansai region. 

The Deputy Minister stressed that the trip has contributed to creating a new wave of Japanese investments in Vietnam. 

Vietnamese and Japanese ministries, agencies and businesses signed a total of 43 cooperation documents valued at over 22 billion USD.

The two sides also inked diplomatic notes on more than 900 million USD in ODA for four projects and about 26 million USD in grants for three others.  

The Japanese Government affirmed its support for Vietnam’s implementation of action plans of six industries included in the the country’s Industrialisation Strategy within the framework of the Vietnam-Japan cooperation, particularly the auto and support industries. 

The two sides also attached importance to cooperation between localities, particularly linkages in agriculture, environmental protection and training of Vietnamese trainees in Japan. 

Deputy FM Trung said the joint statement on deepening the extensive strategic relationship issued at the end of the trip has defined the orientation for bilateral cooperation in the time ahead along with specific measures to boost ties across the fields.  

Regarding the 23rd International Conference on the Future of Asia, the Deputy Minister said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s attendance at the event has contributed to raising Vietnam’s voice in regional and international issues like globalisation, free trade facilitation, sustainable and inclusive development.

VNA