Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe

During their talks following the welcome ceremony in Hanoi on January 16, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc hailed his guest as the first foreign high-ranking leader to visit Vietnam this year and reiterated Vietnam’s consistent policy of considering Japan its leading and long-term partner. 

The two PMs agreed to continue strengthening political trust via maintaining high-level visits and meetings, and increasing the efficiency of dialogue mechanisms. 

They committed to closely working together for the upcoming Vietnam visit by the Japanese Emperor and Empress. The Japanese PM wished to welcome his Vietnamese counterpart to Japan this summer and promised to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Vietnam’s central city of Da Nang later this year.

Host and guest consented to enhance practical collaboration in national defence-security, including bomb and mine clearance and improvement of law enforcement at sea. 

On the economic front, the two sides reached consensus on boosting economic connectivity via promotion of trade, investment promotion, official development assistance (ODA) and cooperation in supplementary fields such as agriculture and labour. 

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked Japan to continue providing Vietnam with ODA in the near future, with a focus on infrastructure building, human resources training and climate change response. 

Abe, for his part, committed an additional 1.05 billion USD in ODA for Vietnam in the 2016 fiscal year in the fields of maritime security, climate change response, water drainage and waste treatment. 

Japan is ready to boost hi-tech application and investment by raising capital from State-owned enterprises and personnel training while facilitating Vietnamese tourist arrivals in Japan and cultural exchanges, he said. 

Both sides vowed to realise Vietnam’s industrialisation strategy within the framework of the Vietnam-Japan cooperation until 2020 with a vision till 2030 and the sixth stage of the Japan-Vietnam joint initiative to improve Vietnam’s business climate, as well as continue major infrastructure projects such as the north-south highway in Vietnam. 

They lauded the talks between Vietnamese local authorities and Japanese corporate executives during the visit, believing that it affords a chance for them to further intensify investment ties in the future. 

The two leaders also agreed to boost bilateral ties across hi-tech agriculture, high-quality human resources training and cooperation between localities, as well as increase the number of Vietnamese trainees to Japan. 

PM Abe announced that Japan will allow the import of Vietnam’s red-fleshed dragon fruit and PM Phuc also declared that Vietnam will license the import of Japan’s pear fruit. 

On regional and global issues of shared concern, the two PMs vowed mutual support at regional and global forums such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and the United Nations. 

The Japanese leader affirmed that he will work to help Vietnam successfully host the APEC Year 2017. 

The two PMs underscored the importance of ensuring peace, security, maritime and aviation safety and freedom in the East Sea, urging parties concerned to refrain from actions that cause tension and militarisation resulting in changing the status quo in the waters, promote the settlement of disputes by peaceful means. The sides should fully respect diplomatic and legal processes, not to use force or threat to use force, seriously abide by international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), towards promptly reaching a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC). 

Following the talks, the two PMs witnessed the signing of agreements between ministries, agencies and businesses./.