Japanese Minister of State for Ocean Policy Fukui Teru speaks at the workshop in Hanoi on September 5 (Photo: baotainguyenmoitruong.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and theJapanese Embassy in Vietnam held a workshop in Hanoi on September 5 to shareJapan’s experience in shaping its ocean policy and enhance cooperation in thefield.
Minister Tran Hong Ha said Vietnam and Japanshare many sea-related similarities as the sea has been closely connected withtheir existence and development for thousands of years. Both have paidattention to protecting marine resources and the environment, as well buildingvisions to make use of resources from the sea to boost socio-economicdevelopment.
He added that in order to capitalise on thesea’s potential in the 21st century, serve the development of a sea-basedeconomy, protect the environment, and respond to climate change, in 2007, the10th Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee approved a resolution onVietnam’s sea strategy until 2020. This resolution specified directions for thestrategy, which aims to turn Vietnam into a strong sea-based nation.
Also in 2007, Japan issued the Basic Act onOcean Policy and the First Basic Plan on Ocean Policy.
In his speech, Ha also offered sympathies toJapan on the losses caused by Typhoon Jebi – the strongest to have hit thecountry in about two decades.
For his part, Japanese Minister of State forOcean Policy Fukui Teru said his country is ready to share experiences insea-related science and technology, and it is proud of these advancedtechnologies.
He noted that marine techniques and technologiesare critical for optimising marine resources and working out solutions toprevent natural disasters and solve global issues.
Japan would like to exchange experiences inmonitoring and surveying the sea – a field in which it has made great strides –and in building seaports in Vietnam. It also wants to share efforts toreinforce state managerial agencies on the sea and deal with plastic waste inthe ocean, the official added.
Fukui Teru expressed his hope that Japan’sexperiences would contribute to Vietnam’s economic development andcompetitiveness.
He said the workshop would help the twocountries increase cooperation, devise common solutions on the sea and ocean,and promote discussion on relevant issues. It would also assess the chances ofcooperation in exploring and researching sealife and suggest joint activitiesbetween the two countries and in the region to handle marine environmentalproblems.–VNA
VNA
