Illustrative photo. (Source: asean.org)
Jakarta (VNA) - ASEAN and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to fostering collaboration at the 9th Meeting of the ASEAN-Japan Joint Cooperation (JCC) held on November 5 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The annual meeting acknowledged the momentum of ASEAN-Japan cooperation, particularly since the Special Summit on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan relations in 2013.
The two sides hailed significant progress in carrying out activities and projects under the Implementation Plan of the Vision Statement on ASEAN- Japan Friendship and Cooperation adopted in December 2013 as well as the ASEAN- Japan Plan of Action for 2011-2015.
The event also noted that substantial progress has been made following the decisions of the 17th ASEAN-Japan Summit last November. Officials of both sides are working toward finalising the Trade in Services and Investment Chapter under the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Partnership within this year and achieving the targets of the ASEAN- Japan 10-Year Strategic Economic Cooperation Roadmap (2012-2022) to double trade and investment flows by 2022.
Japan has actively joined hands with ASEAN to deal with climate change and natural disasters through substantial financial and technical support to enhance the capacity of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre).
Cooperation has been levered up in prevention of trans-boundary crimes, energy, public health, culture and connectivity.
ASEAN member states applauded Japan’s active role in contributing to ASEAN’s development through financial and technical assistance for relevant activities and projects under the Japan- ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF). They also appreciated Japan’s commitment to providing continued support for the bloc’s post-2015 community building.
During the meeting, the two sides also updated each other on recent developments in the region.
The event, co-chaired by Emaleen Abdul Rahman Teo, Permanent Representative of Brunei Darussalam to ASEAN, and Koichi Aiboshi, Ambassador of Japan to ASEAN, was attended by the Permanent Representatives of ASEAN Member States and representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat.-VNA
