At the invitation of Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang together with his wife Mai Thi Hanh and the high-ranking delegation of Vietnam paid a state visit to Japan from March 16 to 19, 2014. The visit marked a historic milestone and opened a new page in Vietnam – Japan relations.
This is the remark of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in an interview on the good results of this event to the press.
This is the first State visit of Vietnamese President to Japan since 2007 and the second presidential visit since the two countries established formal diplomatic relations in 1973. The Royals and the Government of Japan welcomed President Truong Tan Sang and the Vietnamese senior delegation with the highest ceremony for the Head of State.
During his four days in Japan, President Sang met with the Emperor, the Royal Family, the National Diet and the Government of Japan. Besides his meetings with Japanese leaders and politicians, he also hosted open and helpful dialogues with leaders of top economic organisations and enterprises in Japan, in a bid to seek Japan’s support for Vietnam to deploy the Industrialisation Strategy, develop infrastructure, and sustain the development of Vietnam. He also attended and made speeches at business forums in Tokyo and Osaka which highlighted bilateral economic cooperation in the new era and increased investment for supporting industries in Vietnam.
Besides important speeches to the Japanese National Diet, President Sang and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan also had successful talks. The two leaders issued a Joint Statement on the establishment of extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia. The Joint Statement established major directions to bilateral relations in the new stage of development.
Also during this visit, the two sides signed a number of agreements in various fields of cooperation, including:
First, the two sides agreed to maintain regular high-level visits and contacts and effectively carry out cooperation mechanisms and dialogue frameworks at many levels in many areas. Bilateral cooperation in security, defence, law reform and judicial reform has made new progress.
Second, the two sides agreed to further strengthen economic, trade and investment cooperation; and closely cooperate to effectively implement agreements signed by high-ranking officials and large-scale cooperation projects. Accordingly, Japan supports the implementation of action plans for six priority industries in the Vietnam Industrialisation Strategy in the framework of Vietnam – Japan Cooperation Programme, and supports the development of specialised industrial zones and the construction of Ninh Thuan 2 nuclear power plant. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe affirmed that Vietnam is a top partner in Japan’s official development assistance (ODA) policy. The leaders of the two countries also witnessed the signing ceremony of documents on Japan’s preferential credit of 120 billion yen for five projects in the second tranche of fiscal year 2012, including North-South Highway construction project, Lach Huyen Port infrastructure development project, and Thai Binh thermal power plant and transmission line construction project.
Third, agriculture cooperation is a focus of this visit. The two sides agreed to establish the Joint Working Group to promote comprehensive agriculture cooperation and work out long-term cooperation plans between the two countries, and agreed to organise the inaugural meeting of the Joint Working Group in Vietnam in 2014. The two sides signed the Minutes of the Meeting on agricultural development promotion between the Ministries of Agriculture. Japan will consider supporting Vietnam to increase productivity, improve processing efficiency, enhance quality and food safety control and management in agricultural and forest products and seafood, industrialise agriculture, apply high technology and biotechnology to crop and livestock farming, thus helping increase incomes, narrow income gaps and better livelihoods of farmers.
Fourth, the two sides agreed to strengthen comprehensive cooperation on human resource development, science – technology and health, with many specific agreements signed, including the strategic cooperation programme between two Ministries of Education and the memorandum of cooperation in health and healthcare between the two Ministries of Health. Japan is committed to actively helping Vietnam to upgrade some key universities and vocational schools to international standards, strengthening the capacity of Vietnamese science and technology institutions, expanding the scale of receiving nurses and orderlies from Vietnam, as well as receiving Vietnamese technical trainees to practice in Japan. The two sides affirmed they will continue cooperation in Vietnam – Japan University Project.
Fifth, the two sides agreed to create mechanisms for cultural exchanges and people-to-people exchanges to strengthen the friendship and understanding of the two peoples, expand study-based travel of Japanese high school students to Vietnam, and bolster cooperation in television and radio broadcasting, sports and tourism. Japan will consider further simplifying visa procedures for Vietnamese people carrying ordinary passports.
Sixth, the two sides will cooperate closely in regional and international forums, cooperation mechanisms and institutions, contribute actively and constructively to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and prosperity in the region while affirming the importance of ensuring peace, stability and development in the region, including guaranteeing peace, safety, security and freedom of navigation and airway on the basis of international laws and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982.
The State-level visit to Japan by President Truong Tan Sang took place in the context of thriving Vietnam – Japan relations, especially after the two countries established the strategic partnership in 2009. This is an event of important political significance, an opportunity for leaders of the two countries to discuss and agree on major orientations and specific measures to bring the Vietnam – Japan strategic partnership to a new stage of development to meet the interests and suit the aspirations of the two peoples and contribute positively to peace, cooperation and development in the region and in the world. The visit “is an important external activity in 2014 of the State of Vietnam, represents the positive, proactive spirit in carrying out open foreign policies and bringing relations with important partners to higher planes and sustainability, and effectively serves for socioeconomic development of the country,” said Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh.
Thanh Yen
President Truong Tan Sang’s Visit to Japan: New Milestone in Vietnam – Japan Relations History Related image(s)
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