Japan adopts new forms of assistance to Vietnam to suit the new situation

Of the fields of operation in Vietnam, Japan is interested in cooperation to support development not only for infrastructure systems and human resources, but also in agriculture, health care and environment. Although the ODA gives support by new forms of assistance to suit the new situation, Japan will provide the most effective and stable support for Vietnam.

At the event (Photo:VNA)
At the event (Photo:VNA)

The remark was made by Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Vietnam Konaka Tetsuo at a mid-term press conference in Hanoi on October 17.

According to the JICA official, Vietnam is maintaining an outstanding pace of growth in the context of drastic changes in the global political and economic situation.

He went on to say that Vietnam’s macro-economic growth has been relatively stable since the beginning of this year.

The enactment of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in early 2019 and the signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) in June 2019 have boosted Vietnam’s integration into the global economy, he said.

Furthermore, the relations between Vietnam and Japan has continued to thrive over recent times thanks to visits and working sessions between the two countries’ senior officials as well as cooperation programmes and projects between localities, non-governmental organisations and universities, he added.

While evaluating the official development assistance (ODA) projects between Japan and the Vietnamese Government, Konaka said many new ODA projects on technical collaboration and non-refundable aid packages carried out by JICA have been signed and implemented smoothly.

He also mentioned the delay in some projects which were signed in 2018, and the slow disbursement of capital in underway projects, adding that the Vietnamese Government has been working to address these problems by improving relevant legal institutions and creating more favourable conditions for investors’ businesses to carry out projects.

He called on Vietnam to promote its pioneering role in global issues such as climate change, universal health coverage, and sustainable development goals.

JICA will continue implementing cooperation projects to address issues not only in Vietnam but also at the regional and international scale, in line with the Japanese Government’s free and open Indo-Pacific strategy and the high-quality infrastructure policy, he added.