Prime Minister Kishida Fumio’s visit opens a new phase in Vietnam-Japan relations

During the official visit to Vietnam by Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, the two sides will review and agree on specific measures so that this is a milestone “opening up a new phase” of the extensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Vietnam. – Japan.

At the invitation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio will pay an official visit to Vietnam from April 30 to May 1. This is Mr. Kishida Fumio’s first visit to Vietnam as Prime Minister of Japan since taking office in October 2021, and also in response to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Japan in November 2021. .

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio welcomes Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to Japan, November 2021 – Photo: VGP

This very important visit takes place in the context that the relationship between Vietnam and Japan is considered to be in the best stage of cooperation and development in history since the establishment of diplomatic relations. high reliability. The two predecessors of current Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and former Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide, both chose Vietnam as the first country to visit after taking office. Formerly Chairman of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Parliamentary Alliance, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is also the first foreign leader to be officially invited by the new Japanese government.

For his part, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has been a member and Secretary General of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance for decades. He has visited Vietnam 3 times in other positions and actively contributed to upgrading the relationship to an Extensive Strategic Partnership in 2014.

Specifically, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio visited Vietnam in July 2014 and May 2016 as Foreign Minister, and in May 2018 as Chairman of the Policy Research Council. Prime Minister Kishida Fumio once shared that to him, “Vietnam is a special and predestined country with Japan”.

The visit will deepen Vietnam-Japan relations and promote the implementation of the results of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Japan in November 2021 – Photo: VGP

This visit aims to deepen the Vietnam – Japan relations and promote the implementation of the results of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Japan (from November 22 to 25, 2021); strengthening Vietnam – Japan political trust and good relations between the two countries’ senior leaders on the basis of “feelings, sincerity, trust”; strengthen substantive cooperation in various fields to meet the interests and aspirations of the two peoples.

Vietnam and Japan officially established diplomatic relations in September 1973. Over the past time, Vietnam – Japan relations have developed very well, strongly and substantively in many fields thanks to the similarities in culture and strategic interests. Senior leaders of the two countries maintain regular visits and contacts at international and regional forums.

Japan was the first G-7 country to welcome the General Secretary of Vietnam to visit (1995), the first G-7 country to establish a strategic partnership with Vietnam (2009), the first G-7 country. recognizing Vietnam’s market economy status (2011), the first G-7 country invited Vietnam to attend the expanded G7 Summit (May 2016). Since March 2014, Vietnam and Japan have elevated their relations when establishing an extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio

Vietnam – Japan relations are currently developing very well, comprehensively and substantively with high trust. Japan continues to be Vietnam’s leading economic partner, the largest official development aid (ODA) cooperation partner, the second largest foreign investor, and the third largest tourism partner. and fourth on commerce.

Cooperation in the fields of education, defense and security, human resource development, climate change response, and cooperation between localities has achieved many positive results through many important mechanisms, as well as increased strengthening cooperation at multilateral forums of the United Nations, ASEAN, APEC… The two countries have also cooperated in preventing, combating and mitigating the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, achieving many results.

In the bilateral relationship, Vietnam consistently considers Japan as a friend, a reliable, close, important and long-term strategic partner, sharing many common strategic interests. The Vietnamese people always have great affection, respect, affection and trust for the country and Japanese people. Vietnam supports Japan in promoting its worthy role in the region and in the world; and is willing to join Japan in contributing to the maintenance of peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region.

Vietnam is currently an important partner in Japan’s foreign policy. This is demonstrated when Vietnam is one of the few countries that the Emperor visited. Vietnam and Japan have close relations and the two countries now share many common interests.

Taking place in the context that bilateral relations are at the best stage of development ever, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit is expected to achieve comprehensive, concrete, practical and at the same time comprehensive results. have strategic significance, create great imprints to help strengthen and consolidate the extensive strategic partnership with Japan, deepen the Vietnam-Japan relationship, and promote the implementation of the results of the trip. Official visit to Japan by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Japan is currently the leading economic partner of Vietnam. In particular, in terms of trade, the two countries have granted each other the most-favored-nation tax rate since 1999, contributing to continuously increasing bilateral trade turnover. By 2021, trade turnover between Vietnam and Japan will reach US$42.7 billion, of which Vietnam’s exports will reach US$20 billion (up 4.4%) and a trade deficit of US$2.52 billion. In the first 3 months of 2022, Vietnam’s import and export turnover to Japan reached 11.2 billion USD, up 11% over the same period in 2021, of which exports reached nearly 5.4 billion USD, up 10. 1% and imports reached nearly $5.8 billion, up 11.7% over the same period in 2021.

Japan is also the largest foreign investor in Vietnam. Japanese investors have found Vietnam to be an attractive, reliable and safe destination for their investment capital. Accumulated to March 2022, Japan has 4,828 valid foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in Vietnam with a total registered investment capital of more than 64 billion USD, ranking third after Korea and Singapore in a total of 139 countries and territories invest in Vietnam. In 2021, Japan has 9 new projects and 8 times of capital contribution to buy shares, ranking 4th with a total registered capital of 200 million USD.

Japan is the largest supplier of yen loans to Vietnam, the total loan value until December 2019 is 2,578 billion yen (equivalent to about 23.76 billion USD, accounting for 26.3% of the total signed loan capital). foreign government).

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh receives President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Mr. Kitaoka Shinichi, November 2021. Photo: VGP

The Vietnamese community in Japan reaches more than 450,000 people, living, working and studying in 47 provinces and cities directly under the central government of Japan, in which mainly concentrated in Aichi, Tokyo, Osaka, Saitama, Chiba, Fukuoka.

The visit shows that Japan and Prime Minister Kishida personally continue to attach special importance to Vietnam’s role and position in the region and in the world, as well as having a lot of affection for Vietnam, an important and trusted partner. trust of Japan.

The visit will create a strong impetus, further deepen the extensive strategic partnership with Vietnam as well as strengthen the close relationship between Prime Minister Kishida personally and Vietnamese leaders, contributing to strengthen political trust between the two countries on the basis of affection, sincerity and trust.

During Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to Japan, the two countries’ senior leaders repeatedly emphasized that the relationship between the two countries is at the best stage of development in history. However, the relationship between the two countries still has a lot of potential for development.

With this reciprocal visit by Prime Minister Kishida, the two expressed their determination to bring the two countries’ relations to a new height, develop more comprehensively, and actively look forward to the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Vietnam. South-Japan in 2023.

Earlier during his visit in November 2021, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh witnessed the awarding ceremony of a friendship cooperation agreement between Vietnam’s Vinh Phuc province and Japan’s Tochigi province. Photo: VGP

Returning to Vietnam this time in his new capacity, in the program of the visit, Prime Minister Kishida is expected to meet with high-ranking Vietnamese leaders: General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue; received the Chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Group; Attending the Conference on Cooperation in Technology Innovation, Digital Transformation….

Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Vu Hong Nam said the two sides will review and agree on specific measures so that Prime Minister Kishida’s visit is a milestone “opening up a new phase” of the deep strategic partnership. wide Vietnamese-Japanese. The two sides will strengthen cooperation in substantive areas such as promoting trade turnover, creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese goods, especially agricultural products, to be exported to Japan, and promoting the loan program. New-generation ODA, high-quality investment, enhanced technology transfer, supply chain diversification, digital transformation, cooperation in the development of Covid-19 vaccines and drugs, human resource development, smart cities, transport infrastructure, climate change response, cooperation between localities, people-to-people exchanges… to meet the interests and aspirations of the two peoples.