Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Nguyen Quoc Cuong (Photo: VNA) Tokyo (VNA) – Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Nguyen Quoc Cuong highlighted the significance of the first-ever State visit to Japan by President Tran Dai Quang from May 29 to June 2 and the prospects of cooperation between the two countries in a recent interview granted to Vietnam News Agency’s correspondents in Tokyo.
He said the visit will create a good chance for the two sides to express their determination to bring the bilateral extensive strategic partnership to a new period of development.
Annually, Japan only welcomes one or two State-level visits. Therefore, the reception of President Tran Dai Quang this year shows that the country attaches importance to the role and position of Vietnam in the region and the world as well as the development of the bilateral relations, he said.
For Vietnam, the visit is in line with the Party and State’s foreign policy of diversification and multilateralisation, as well as the policy of reform, door-opening and deep-and-wide international integration, he added.
The Ambassador said the visit is a follow-up of the regular exchanges between the two countries’ leaders. He recalled the successful visit to Japan in 2015 by Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong, and later by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in 2016 and 2017.
In 2017, the Japanese Emperor and Empress made a historic successful visit to Vietnam. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid two official visits to Vietnam the same year and attended the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in the central city of Da Nang in November 2017.
Regular exchanges have helped strengthen and reinforce political trust between the two countries and peoples, Cuong said.
He stressed that the Vietnamese President’s visit takes place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 45th founding anniversary of their diplomatic ties (1973-2018).
It provides an occasion for Vietnamese and Japanese leaders and people to look back at the achievements they have gained over the past 45 years, the Ambassador noted.
He said while bilateral ties are at its best in history, there is still great room for the two sides to expand their partnership.
Vietnam is pushing ahead with comprehensive reforms to achieve rapid and sustainable development towards the goal of becoming a modern industrialised country by 2030 with a vision towards 2045.
Japan plays a crucial role in helping Vietnam implement the Vietnamese Party and State’s policies, he stressed.
Meanwhile, Japan is stepping up the implementation of the Abenomics policy, restructuring the economy and encouraging small-and-medium-sized enterprises to boost external investment. Vietnam is an important market and partner of Japan in the region, he noted.
A new foundation for Vietnam-Japan relations is their active participation in negotiations to reach the signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The agreement is expected to come into force from 2019, opening new cooperation prospects for the two countries’ businesses.
The Ambassador also highlighted the role of the overseas Vietnamese in Japan in promoting the two countries’ relations.
Besides, Vietnam and Japan share many strategic interests in regional and international issues, for example their similar viewpoints on the East Sea matter. Both countries support the settlement of disputes in the East Sea via peaceful means and without threat to use or use of force, based on international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS), he added.-VNA
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