TOKYO: Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính held talks with his Japanese counterpart Kishida Fumio in Tokyo on December 16, as part of his trip to attend the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation and have bilateral activities in the East Asian country.
This was the sixth talks between the two government leaders in the past two years and the second in 2023.
PM Kishida thanked PM Chính’s attendance at the summit and believed that the Vietnamese delegation’s active contributions will play a significant role in the general success of the event.
The two leaders agreed to direct ministries and agencies to realise the contents of the Joint Statement on the elevation of the Việt Nam-Japan relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia and the world, which was approved by senior leaders of the two countries in late November.
They shared common perceptions on jointly consolidating political trust, increasing annual high-level exchanges and meetings through the Party, Government and National Assembly channels while enhancing practical and effective defence cooperation via the effective implementation of signed cooperation agreements.
Speaking highly of the positive progress in numerous key economic projects between the two countries in recent years, as well as official development assistance (ODA) reaching over 100 billion JPY in 2023 for the first time since 2017, they committed to ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral economic connectivity, ensure economic security, and establish a joint coordinating group between the two governments to step up the progress and efficiency of underway economic projects, including the Nghi Sơn Refinery and Petrochemical Complex.
PM Chính proposed Japan continue supplying new-generation ODA loans for strategic infrastructure development projects in Vietnam, such as the North-South high-speed railway project, urban railways, supporting industries, new industrial zones, climate change adaptation, digital transformation, green transition, health care, and more.
He called for support to facilitate Vietnamese businesses’ participation in the global supply chains of Japanese enterprises, particularly in the fields of automobile, electronics, health care and apparel; and streamline inspection procedures to open the market for Vietnamese pomelos and Japanese grapes.
PM Kishida, for his part, expressed his wish that the two countries would develop together and contribute to the common development of the region.
Japan will continue assisting Việt Nam in industrialisation and modernisation, and building an independent, self-reliant economy that deeply integrates into the global community, towards successfully realising its industrialisation and modernisation strategy, he noted.
The two PMs agreed to expand cooperation in green transition and climate change adaptation through practical projects.
PM Kishida promised to promote collaboration with Việt Nam in energy transition and emissions reduction through the Asia Zero Emission Community Initiative (AZEC) launched by Japan.
Both leaders agreed to further enhance workforce training collaboration, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, locality-to-locality cooperation, and tourism.
PM Chính suggested that Japan continue to create favourable conditions, relax entry requirements, and move towards visa exemptions for Vietnamese citizens entering Japan.
Meanwhile, PM Kishida affirmed that Việt Nam’s workforce, including high-quality labourers and skilled apprentices, is indispensable for Japan’s socio-economic development. Both sides expressed their satisfaction with the upcoming organisation of a specific skills exam for apprentices in Việt Nam.
The two leaders affirmed their commitments to continue close coordination on regional and international issues of mutual concerns, positively contributing to maintaining peace, stability, and development in the region and the world. PM Chính spoke highly of Japan’s hosting of a AZEC high-level conference within the framework of the ASEAN-Japan commemorative summit.
On this occasion, the two leaders witnessed the exchange of cooperation documents between the two countries, which involved the fourth loan agreement for Hồ Chí Minh City’s urban railway construction project, the Japan Development Scholarship (JDS) project, and the equipment supply project for Việt Nam’s K Hospital with a total sum of 42.3 billion JPY (nearly 300 million USD).
Also on December 16, PM Chính received leaders of several leading Japanese economic groups operating in the fields of health, energy and oil and gas.
