Vietnam, Japan issue joint statement

At the talks between President Tran Dai Quang and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

The visit of President Quang and his wife is made at the invitation of the State of Japan. Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko hosted a welcome ceremony and a state banquet for the Vietnamese guests.

While in Japan, President Quang held talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and met with political and economic leaders of Japan. He also attended and addressed a conference on promoting investment in Vietnam and visited Gunma prefecture.

During their talks on May 31, President Quang and PM Abe expressed their delight at strong, comprehensive, pragmatic developments across fields of the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership, for peace and prosperity in Asia.

They shared the views that the regular exchange of high-level visits and meetings will contribute to enhancing mutual political trust and promoting bilateral cooperation in national defence-security and enhancing collaboration in a wide range of areas, from agriculture to environment, natural disaster prevention, climate change response, education-training, science-technology, construction, information-communications, health care, and cultural, sport, and people-to-people exchanges.

Both affirmed their willingness to work together in order to advance the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership to the next development step in all spheres in a more pragmatic, effective manner.

Accordingly, they will intensify political trust, expand and deepen bilateral cooperation, boost economic links, step up exchanges between citizens of the two countries and closely coordinate with each other in regional and global issues.

Host and guest are resolved to join hands in ensuring peace, stability and prosperity in the region by maintaining and consolidating the order in a free and open sea in line with law and practices.

Both aim to intensify bilateral affiliation in national defence, strengthen collaboration in dealing with consequences of war-left bombs and mines, and supporting victims of Agent Orange/dioxin and bombs and mines in Vietnam. They will take into account further cooperation in dioxin remediation.

At the same time, the two sides will reinforce partnerships in coping with non-traditional security issues, covering cyber security, cyber and cross-border crimes, terrorism, food, water resources and maritime security.

They determined to accelerate the implementation of economic agreements and work together to handle bottlenecks to several Japanese projects in Vietnam.

The two sides agreed to continue cooperating in large-scale infrastructure projects, expressing their wish for further collaboration in administration and restructuring of State-owned enterprises through partnerships between Vietnamese State firms and Japanese investors.

The leaders concurred to forge bilateral trade, aiming to double trade and investment values by 2020 as compared with 2014.

Apart from enhancing affiliation in high-quality personnel training, host and guest consented to boost partnerships in agriculture, environment, climate change response, education, science-technology, health care, cultural, and sport and people-to-people exchanges.

The two sides also reiterated commitments to strengthening coordination and cooperation at regional and international forums like the UN, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and ASEAN-led mechanisms.

Regarding the East Sea issue, they reaffirmed the significance of maintaining peace, security, navigation and aviation safety and freedom, practicing self-restraint, peacefully addressing disputes by fully respecting legal and diplomatic processes and observing international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

They also compared notes on other regional and global issues.