President Quang’s visit is especially significant to the sound friendship between the two nations, which have reached mutual political trust, the article wrote, given that political ties have been developed and strengthen in the past 45 years by regular visits and meetings of their senior leaders at international and regional forums.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe chose Vietnam for his first overseas trip after taking office in January 2013. He was also the first leader of the G7 nations to invite Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to attend the expanded G7 Summit, it said.
Japan and Vietnam always support each other at multilateral forums like the UN, ASEAN, APEC, ASEM, and UN Human Rights Council. Vietnam, with its location close to the East Sea and in the economic corridor connecting the Pacific and Indian Ocean, plays a very important role in Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” strategy.
Particularly, in the context that the East Sea is being militarised, seriously threatening peace and stability in the region, Vietnam and Japan should further boost bilateral cooperation, the article suggested.
Last year, Japan became the biggest foreign investor in Vietnam with total investment of US$9.11 billion, or 25% of the nation’s total foreign direct investment inflow. The country was also the largest ODA provider for Vietnam, accounting 30% of the total ODA supplied by foreign nations.
Earlier, many Japanese press agencies like NHK, Nikkei, Nikkei Asian Review, Kyodo and JIJI also stressed the importance of President Quang’s visit ahead of his trip to the East Asian country.
Vietnam wants to deepen the strategic relations with Japan in all sectors, they quoted President Quang as saying. Vietnam has shared the same stance with Japan on solving the East Sea issue through peaceful measures and based on international law to ensure freedom of navigation in the waters.
In addition, the Japanese media also highlighted Vietnam’s and Japan’s efforts to speed up the signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in Chile in March.
