Japan Prime Minister praises ‘predestine relationship’ with Vietnam

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Vietnam PM Pham Minh Chinh (R) and Japan PM Fumio Kishida (L) before the talks on May 1, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy
Visiting Fumio Kishida and Chinh witnessed the exchange of 22 cooperation documents between Vietnam and Japan.

During the press briefing after the talk, PM Kishida said "Hello" in Vietnamese and expressed his pleasure at visiting Vietnam for the first time as the PM of Japan.

Kishida said that after serving many years as General Secretary of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Union, he "has a predestined relationship with Vietnam", emphasizing that the two countries will strengthen cooperation in economic recovery post-Covid-19 in fields such as supply chain diversification, digital transformation, human resources exchange and support for energy transition into Vietnam.

Kishida said that Japan will work closely with Vietnam to soon complete the Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien), as well as increase cooperation in national defense and security. The Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) will support Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defense in enhancing cyber security capabilities.

The two sides have made new progress in cooperation in developing Vietnam's strategic infrastructure, including urban railways, Northern-Southern high-speed railways, and strengthening the Vietnam-Laos connection. PM Chinh also asked Japan to pay attention and support the Vietnamese community with nearly 450,000 people there.

Regarding issues on the East Sea, internationally known as the South China Sea, the two leaders called on all parties to exercise restraint, not to use or threaten to use force, to comply with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to fully implement the Declaration of the Parties on the East Sea (DOC), to maintain and promote a favorable environment for negotiations and achieve a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

On the situation in Ukraine, the two PMs affirmed that they respect the basic principles of international law and the United Nations Charter and not using or threatening to use force in international relations.

Chinh said Vietnam has expressed its comprehensive view on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and provided aid of $500,000 to the country through international humanitarian organizations.

Japan is Vietnam’s biggest official development assistance provider, the third biggest inbound tourism market and the fourth largest trade partner.

Bilateral trade last year was worth $42.7 billion, and Japan has invested $64.4 billion in Vietnam, third behind only South Korea and Singapore.

Vietnamese is the biggest foreign group in Japan with over 450,000 people living in 47 localities, mostly in Aichi, Tokyo, Osaka, Saitama, Chiba and Fukuoka.

Over 51,000 Vietnamese students are studying in. Japan, the second biggest student group there.

Chinh visited Japan in November last year and was the first foreign leader that Kishida welcomed after taking office.

The welcoming ceremony of Japan PM Fumio Kishida. Video by VnExpress/Vu Anh

Japan PM says his relationship with Vietnam 'predestined' - VnExpress International

PM Pham Minh Chinh and his visiting Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

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