Japanese expert lauds Vietnam’s “bamboo diplomacy”

Professor Go Ito from Japan’s Meiji University (right) (Photo: VNA)

Tokyo (VNA) – Professor Go Ito from Japan’s MeijiUniversity has emphasised flexibility in Vietnam’s foreign policy in maintainingrelations with countries, referring to its “bamboo diplomacy.”

The term “bamboo diplomacy” was coined by PartyGeneral Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong during a diplomatic conference in 2016 andreiterated at the first national conference on foreign affairs in 2021. Duringthese meetings, the leader likened Vietnam’s foreign policy to bamboo, withstrong roots, solid stems, and flexible branches.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency(VNA)’s correspondents in Japan, the professor held that the main concepts of “bamboodiplomacy” lie with resilience, flexibility and modesty.

Vietnam is standing in an environment that enables thecountry to gain an important position in the Association of Southeast AsianNations (ASEAN), and boost political and economic ties with Japan and theRepublic of Korea (RoK), he said.

Regarding the Vietnam-Japan relationship, theprofessor noted that geopolitical and geoeconomic factors would be impulses forthe bilateral ties./

VNA