This is an important milestone in the partnership between the two sides, said Ho Van Nien, vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.
Vice chairman Nien, who is also head of the new desk, highly valued the contributions of Japanese investors to the socioeconomic development of the locality and its effort to become an international port in the future.
Ba Ria–Vung Tau has so far hosted 290 foreign-invested projects with a combined capital of more than US$26 billion, including 19 Japanese projects totalling over US$1.9 billion, mostly in steel production, oil and gas pipe processing, mechanical engineering, seaport and apparel.
Nakajima Satoshi, Japanese consul general in Ho Chi Minh City, said Vietnam has been an attractive destination for Japanese investors.
The establishment of the Japan Desk, with the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, is part of the Japanese Government’s policy to back its enterprises abroad, he said.
The desk, formed under the joint initiative signed in April 2003 between the Vietnamese and Japanese governments, is expected to strengthen the co-ordination among local authorised agencies in settling difficulties facing Japanese investors during their operations in the locality.
It is also expected to help Ba Ria–Vung Tau call for additional investment from Japan while keeping close connectivity with the Japan Desk in Ho Chi Minh City to improve its investment environment.
The same day, the province signed a co-operation agreement with Muzuho Bank, a Japanese bank that has a network spanning 37 countries and territories.
The deal will allow the two sides to support Japanese enterprises, especially those in Ba Ria–Vung Tau with the aim of increasing Japanese investment in the province.
