A senior official of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has said that Japan places emphasis on its relations with Vietnam and would like to see concrete outcomes in each area of its strategic partnership with the Southeast Asian country.
Speaking to a correspondent of the Vietnam News Agency in Tokyo on Oct. 27 before the official visit to Vietnam by Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, the official said: “The last visit to Vietnam by a Japanese prime minister took place in 2006. This visit by PM Kan clearly indicates Japan’s stance of placing emphasis on relations with Vietnam and we expect that the upcoming summit meeting between PM Kan and his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Tan Dung, will produce fruitful outcomes”.
During the official visit to Japan by Secretary General of the Vietnam Communist Party Nong Duc Manh in April last year, leaders of the two countries already agreed to develop the Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia, which Japan and Vietnam had constructed by advancing their bilateral relations in a wide range of areas.
The Japanese diplomat said through the holding of a meeting between PM Kan and PM Dung, the promotion of mutual cooperation in economic infrastructure development and a reinforcement of their partnership in national security and in the international arena, Japan and Vietnam will engage in the comprehensive promotion of their bilateral strategic partnership.
“We would like to see the concrete outcomes in each area of the strategic partnership,” the official stressed.
He also commented that Vietnam is a country of significant potentials, with a population of 85 million people, abundant natural resources, a hard-working and inexpensive labour force and a high rate of economic growth, averaging 7.3 percent over the last five years and forecasted to be 6.7 percent for 2010.
He said Japanese businesses are interested in exporting infrastructure-related products and also in making foreign direct investment (FDI) to the country.
He concluded that the official visit to Vietnam by PM Kan “will be a very short, but significant visit to Vietnam from our viewpoint”.
Regarding to the upcoming talks between the two PMs, the Japanese official said that PM Kan and his Vietnamese counterpart are expected to welcome a basic substantial agreement between the two countries for bilateral cooperation in the development and peaceful uses of nuclear energy and encourage their officials to work for the early signing of the agreement.
Regarding the issue of granting a market economy status to Vietnam, he said: “We held a forum for giving a market economy status to Vietnam in January 2010. We are in the process of examining various status and information related to the economic situation and economic policies of Vietnam”.
“It is possible that the issue of market economy status will be raised at the summit meeting and we might be talking that we are going to have another round on that matter,” he said, adding that “it has not been fixed yet.”
PM Kan is scheduled to arrive in Hanoi on late Oct. 28. Before the official visit, he will attend various ASEAN-related summit meetings, including the ASEAN-Japan Summit. On the sidelines of those meetings, he is scheduled to meet his counterparts from Singapore and New Zealand, and possibly to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart./.
Speaking to a correspondent of the Vietnam News Agency in Tokyo on Oct. 27 before the official visit to Vietnam by Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, the official said: “The last visit to Vietnam by a Japanese prime minister took place in 2006. This visit by PM Kan clearly indicates Japan’s stance of placing emphasis on relations with Vietnam and we expect that the upcoming summit meeting between PM Kan and his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Tan Dung, will produce fruitful outcomes”.
During the official visit to Japan by Secretary General of the Vietnam Communist Party Nong Duc Manh in April last year, leaders of the two countries already agreed to develop the Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia, which Japan and Vietnam had constructed by advancing their bilateral relations in a wide range of areas.
The Japanese diplomat said through the holding of a meeting between PM Kan and PM Dung, the promotion of mutual cooperation in economic infrastructure development and a reinforcement of their partnership in national security and in the international arena, Japan and Vietnam will engage in the comprehensive promotion of their bilateral strategic partnership.
“We would like to see the concrete outcomes in each area of the strategic partnership,” the official stressed.
He also commented that Vietnam is a country of significant potentials, with a population of 85 million people, abundant natural resources, a hard-working and inexpensive labour force and a high rate of economic growth, averaging 7.3 percent over the last five years and forecasted to be 6.7 percent for 2010.
He said Japanese businesses are interested in exporting infrastructure-related products and also in making foreign direct investment (FDI) to the country.
He concluded that the official visit to Vietnam by PM Kan “will be a very short, but significant visit to Vietnam from our viewpoint”.
Regarding to the upcoming talks between the two PMs, the Japanese official said that PM Kan and his Vietnamese counterpart are expected to welcome a basic substantial agreement between the two countries for bilateral cooperation in the development and peaceful uses of nuclear energy and encourage their officials to work for the early signing of the agreement.
Regarding the issue of granting a market economy status to Vietnam, he said: “We held a forum for giving a market economy status to Vietnam in January 2010. We are in the process of examining various status and information related to the economic situation and economic policies of Vietnam”.
“It is possible that the issue of market economy status will be raised at the summit meeting and we might be talking that we are going to have another round on that matter,” he said, adding that “it has not been fixed yet.”
PM Kan is scheduled to arrive in Hanoi on late Oct. 28. Before the official visit, he will attend various ASEAN-related summit meetings, including the ASEAN-Japan Summit. On the sidelines of those meetings, he is scheduled to meet his counterparts from Singapore and New Zealand, and possibly to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart./.
