PMs stress importance of substantively promoting Vietnam - Japan extensive strategic partnership

Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Ministers Pham Minh Chinh and Kishida Fumio held a joint press conference and witnessed the exchange of Vietnam - Japan cooperation documents following their talks in Hanoi on May 1.

PM Chinh said during their successful talks, the two sides looked into the progress in the implementation of the agreements reached at their meeting in Tokyo last November. They reached high consensus on the orientations and detailed measures for opening up a new development stage for the “Extensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia” between Vietnam and Japan.

Accordingly, they affirmed the importance of promoting the extensive strategic partnership in a more substantive, effective, and extensive manner. They shared the view that the two countries have made new strides in developing strategic infrastructure of Vietnam, agreeing to work together to accelerate transport infrastructure projects.

The Vietnamese leader noted they also agreed to boost ties in post-pandemic economic recovery, increase the connectivity between the two economies and their production - supply chains, and step up partnerships in investment, trade, support industry development, digital transformation, innovation, smart city building, hi-tech agriculture, and energy transition.

PM Kishida has pledged continued assistance for Vietnam to realise socio-economic development targets, Chinh said, adding that the Vietnamese Government is determined to effectively use Japan’s official development assistance and continue improving the investment climate so as to create optimal conditions for investors, including those from Japan.

During their talks, they also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern such as the East Sea issue, the Ukraine situation, and non-traditional security challenges.

Pledging to enhance coordination to maintain regional peace and stability, they reaffirmed the importance of ensuring peace, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea; promoting the peaceful settlement of disputes without use of or threats to use force; seriously complying with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in activities at sea; respecting diplomatic and legal processes; fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC); and soon finalising a code of conduct (COC) in the East Sea that is substantive, effective, and in line with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, PM Chinh went on.

Regarding the Ukraine situation, he added, the two sides affirmed their respect for the fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter, especially the principle of respecting the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, rights, and legal and legitimate interests of countries, as well as not threatening to use or using force in international relations. They called on the parties concerned to persistently promote dialogue and negotiations to seek durable peaceful solutions.

Vietnam expressed its all-round viewpoint on the humanitarian issue in Ukraine and that it is ready to actively contribute to humanitarian assistance activities, diplomatic process, dialogue, and negotiations.

In that spirit, Vietnam will provide 500,000 USD in humanitarian aid to Ukraine via international humanitarian organisations, PM Chinh told the media.

He said the two PMs agreed to work together to hold activities marking the 50th founding anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations in 2023 while bolstering locality-to-locality, cultural, people-to-people, and tourism cooperation.

The Vietnamese PM asked his counterpart to continue supporting the nearly 450,000 Vietnamese people in Japan. The two sides also affirmed they will cooperate to protect the Vietnamese community’s legitimate and legal interests, according to Chinh.

For his part, PM Kishida said they discussed measures for strengthening post-pandemic cooperation in a more substantive manner, including in supply chain diversification, digital transformation, and technological cooperation within the Asia-Japan Investing for the Future Initiative.

He added efforts will be made to soon complete the Metro Line No. 1 project in Ho Chi Minh City, improve the capacity of Vietnamese interns in Japan, help with energy transition in Vietnam, boost security - defence ties, and ensure cyber security.

Japan will do its utmost to open up new opportunities for bilateral relations on the occasion of their diplomatic ties’ 50th anniversary, Kishida stated.

At the press conference, the two leaders witnessed the exchange of 22 cooperation documents in various areas between their countries’ ministries, sectors, localities, and enterprises./.