Vietnam, Japan agree to advance extensive strategic partnership

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speak at a press conference following their talks.

At a joint press conference following his talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on October 8, the Vietnamese government leader said that the two sides also agreed to enhance political trust through regular high-level visits and meetings, utilize dialogue mechanisms and step up result-oriented cooperation in national defence and security, as well as people-to-people exchange.

They will continue to reinforce economic links, promote Japanese investment in Vietnam, intensify collaboration in major projects on infrastructure, high-quality personnel training, climate change response and Vietnam’s industrialization strategy, and further their coordination in using Japan’s official development assistance (ODA) and preferential loans effectively.

At the same time, the two sides will strengthen their affiliation in administrative reform, e-Government building and productivity improvement, along with other spheres like high-quality agriculture, environment, education-training, culture, tourism, health care, sports, firefighting and people-to-people exchange.

They pledged to join hands for the success of the Mekong-Japan Summit Meeting and to promote the ASEAN-Japan relations as Vietnam is working as coordinator of the ASEAN-Japan Dialogue for 2018-2021.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Vietnam has approved the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and Vietnam and Japan are pushing ahead with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Vietnam welcomes and backs Japan’s efforts and initiatives to ensure prosperity, free trade and navigation safety in the Indo-Pacific region on the basis of the UN Charter and international law, and respect for independence and sovereignty of countries, for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world alike, he said.

Vietnam attaches importance to the prestige and role of Japan in the present situation, the leader stressed.

Regarding the East Sea issue, PM Phuc said Vietnam and Japan reiterated the significance of ensuring peace, security, safety and freedom of aviation and navigation in the area, and not using or threatening to use force.

They showed their support for the settlement of disputes by peaceful measures on the basis of international law, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and respect for diplomatic and legal processes.

Both sides highlighted the need to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon finalise an effective and legally binding Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), the PM said.

He used the occasion to express sympathy to Japan over huge losses caused by Trami storm recently.

Speaking at the press conference, PM Shinzo Abe extended his deep condolences over the passing of President Tran Dai Quang and former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Do Muoi.

He said Vietnam’s sustainable development plays an important role in peace and prosperity in the Mekong region, pledging that Japan will continue its strong support for Vietnam in high-quality infrastructure building, administrative reform, industrial development, productivity improvement and energy.

The host informed that in 2019 when Vietnam and Japan hold the Japan-Mekong Exchange Year, Japan will further expand people-to-people exchange between the two countries.

Japan will continue to intensify personnel training cooperation with Vietnam via the Asia Health and Well-being Initiative and the Japanese language education initiative, he promised.

The two sides concurred to take measures to prevent and handle companies engaging in illegal sending and reception of Vietnamese guest workers.

Given the wide spread of protectionism, Vietnam and Japan will continue to send out messages of trade liberation promotion, and equal and free investment through the CPTPP and RCEP.

PM Shinzo Abe said he will closely partner with PM Phuc to contribute to the success of the ASEAN-Japan Summit Meeting, thus helping increase achievements of bilateral cooperation.

Abe said he and his Vietnamese counterpart agreed to boost coordination in regional and international issues, including the Korean peninsula and East Sea issues. The leaders expressed their resolve to deepen the bilateral ties, for peace and prosperity in the region and the world at large.

At the end of their talks, the two PMs witnessed the hand-over of cooperation documents between ministries, agencies and businesses of the two countries.

The documents include a diplomatic note of exchange on non-refundable aid to enhance capacity for Vietnam’s Reference Testing and Agrifood Quality Consultancy Centre in order to ensure food safety of agro-forestry-fishery products.

There were also memoranda of understanding (MoU) covering cooperation in maritime policy between the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and Japan’s Cabinet Office, collaboration in trade and industry between the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and Japan’s Wakayama prefecture, affiliation in firefighting between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, between the Vietnam Football Federation and the Japan Football Association, Vietnam-Germany Hospital and Kitahara Hospital of Japan, and the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) and Mizuno Group of Japan on cooperation in physical education at Vietnamese primary schools.

An agreement between the MoET and Japan’s National Police Agency, Ministries of Justice, Foreign Affairs, and Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on affairs relating to overseas Vietnamese in Japan was also inked on the occasion.

They also witnessed the signing of a BOT contract between the MoIT and Sumitomo Group and Van Phong Power Company Limited on the Van Phong 1 thermal power plant