Prime Minister leaves for 10th Mekong-Japan Summit Meeting

Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, his spouse and entourage on October 7 left Hanoi for Tokyo to attend the 10th Mekong-Japan Summit Meeting and visit Japan from October 8-10.

He was accompanied by Minister, Chairman of the Office of the Government Mai Tien Dung, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha, Minister of Finance Dinh Tien Dung, and Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Le Minh Hung, among others.

The 10th Mekong-Japan Summit Meeting marks ten years of the Mekong-Japan cooperation mechanism, and three years of carrying out the Tokyo Strategy 2015. Vietnam’s attendance at the event aims to affirm the country’s commitment to this cooperation mechanism.

Also, the meeting will also offer an opportunity for relevant sides to review experience in the past ten years, map out major orientations, and recommend measures to improve cooperation efficiency in the coming time.

Japan recommended the Japan-Mekong partnership programme at the 12th ASEAN Summit in 2007. Since then, member countries of the cooperation mechanism has organised nine high-level meetings, 11 ministerial meetings and economic ministers’ meetings, reaching various agreements.

During 2009-2012, their cooperation focused on soft and hard infrastructure, sustainable development, narrowing development gap, environmental protection, response to challenges like diseases and natural disasters, and enhancing exchanges between Mekong countries and Japan.

Meanwhile, they worked together to bolster connection within the Sub-Mekong region, between the Sub-Mekong region with other parts of the world, and between Mekong countries and Japan during 2013-2015. Also, the Mekong development roadmap for 2012-2015, and the Mekong-Japan Economic and Industrial Cooperation Initiative were carried out.

For 2016-2018 period, aiming to attain the “quality growth”, and continue sustainable economic development, the countries joined hands to branch out industrial infrastructure as well as develop transport links between Mekong countries and other regions. In addition, they worked to expand industrial sectors and regional value chain, improve human resources, foster institutional and economic connection and people-to-people exchanges, and accelerate sustainable development towards a green Mekong.

At the 7th Mekong-Japan Summit Meeting in Tokyo on July 4, 2015, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the official development assistance of about 750 billion JPY, or 7 billion USD, to the five Mekong countries to carry out the New Tokyo Strategy 2015 for Mekong-Japan Cooperation. Japan also prioritised the Sub-Mekong region when carry out the “Partnership for Quality Infrastructure” initiative in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank. The 110 billion USD project aimed to developing high-quality infrastructure in Asia-Pacific.

Furthermore, the Mekong Industrial Development Vision for the 2016-2018 period has been carried out under the Mekong-Japan cooperation mechanism.

On the occasion, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will pay a visit to Japan. The visit takes place in a special occasion when the two countries are celebrating 45th anniversary of the diplomatic relations. It aims to tighten the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership which is developing fruitfully across fields, contributing to enhancing mutual political trust between the two countries.-VNA