During the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh congratulated Ambassador Ito Naoki on his appointment by the Japanese Government as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Vietnam, following the upgrading of relations between the two countries to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2023. He also conveyed his gratitude to the leaders and people of Japan for their concern, support, and for sending the Special Envoy of the Japanese Prime Minister, former Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide, to attend the funeral of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.
The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction with the positive progress in bilateral relations in recent times, noting the frequent exchanges of high-level and other delegations, and the increasingly close economic cooperation and linkages, with Japan being one of Vietnam's leading important economic partners. Alongside this, the exchange and connection of human resources have become increasingly close, and the Vietnamese community in Japan has grown rapidly, now reaching over 560,000 people.
Highly appreciating Ambassador Ito Naoki's experience cooperating with Vietnam during his time at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested Ambassador Ito Naoki to actively coordinate the implementation of the recently upgraded Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework based on the motto "sincerity, affection, trust, substance, and effectiveness," bringing Vietnam-Japan relations to develop with "six improvements" during his term in Vietnam, including:
Firstly, we need to strengthen political trust and closer ties through increased high-level visits and contacts, promoting visits by leaders of the Japanese Government and Parliament to Vietnam; and promoting defense and security cooperation. On this occasion, the Prime Minister conveyed the invitation from General Secretary and President To Lam to the Emperor and Empress and members of the Japanese Royal Family to visit Vietnam.
Secondly, it is necessary to strengthen economic cooperation and create stronger and more effective economic linkages. The Prime Minister requested Ambassador Ito Naoki to lobby Japan to support Vietnam in building an independent and self-reliant economy, fully integrating into the international community, providing new-generation ODA with simpler loan procedures for infrastructure projects, and opening the market to Vietnamese agricultural products. The Prime Minister also requested Ambassador Ito Naoki to make efforts to promote cooperation projects between the two countries such as the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Plant, and the Ho Chi Minh City urban railway line 1…
Thirdly, expand comprehensive cooperation into new areas such as digital transformation, green transformation, innovation, and net zero emissions through the Asian Net Zero Emission Community Initiative (AZEC).
Fourth, promote technology transfer and innovation in a more substantive and effective way.
 |
| Scenes from the reception. |
Fifth, promote closer and deeper human resource integration, labor cooperation, local cooperation, cultural exchange, and people-to-people exchanges. The Prime Minister also requested the Ambassador to increase scholarships for Vietnamese students studying in Japan, and to develop universities in Vietnam such as the Vietnam-Japan University and Japanese language departments at universities.
On Friday, the Prime Minister proposed strengthening substantive and more effective cooperation on international and regional issues of mutual interest.
Ambassador Ito Naoki once again extended his condolences on the passing of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong; sharing that the late General Secretary had given many directives and made many contributions to Vietnam-Japan relations and affirming that he will inherit General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's legacy for the development of relations between the two countries.
Expressing his pleasure at beginning his term in Vietnam amidst the remarkable progress made in bilateral relations in recent years, Ambassador Ito Naoki emphasized that the most important task during his time in Vietnam is to further deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan, looking towards the next 50 years.
Reporting to the Prime Minister on the recent increase in Japanese investment, making Japan the second largest investor in Vietnam, the Ambassador set a goal of doubling bilateral trade between Vietnam and Japan to US$100 billion within 10 years; committed to coordinating with relevant ministries and agencies to accelerate the progress of projects agreed upon by the high-level leaders of the two countries; revitalizing ODA cooperation and promoting new ODA projects for Vietnam in the infrastructure sector; and coordinating the promotion of the Vietnam-Japan Joint Initiative in the new era to improve Vietnam's investment environment.
The Ambassador also stated that Japan will cooperate in training semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) human resources for Vietnam through the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST); affirming continued efforts to lobby the Japanese government for more favorable policies for Vietnamese workers. The Ambassador also affirmed that Japan will facilitate Vietnam's successful participation in the World EXPO in Osaka in 2025.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/viet-nam-va-nhat-ban-tich-cuc-trien-khai-khuon-kho-doi-tac-chien-luoc-toan-dien-post824118.html
