The remark was made by Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung at a reception for Fukui Teru, Japanese Minister of State for Ocean Policy and head of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance’s Office, in Hanoi on September 4.
Deputy PM Dung spoke of his delight at the comprehensive and practical growth of the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership in all fields with high political trust that benefits the people of both countries.
Japan is now a leading economic partner of Vietnam, ranking first in terms of official development assistance (ODA) provision, second in terms of investment, third in terms of tourism and fourth in terms of trade, he noted.
The bilateral cooperation in agriculture and human resource training has become more effective, while exchanges in culture and between localities and the people of both countries have been promoted, helping to foster mutual understanding between the Vietnamese and Japanese people, the Deputy PM said.
He said that maritime cooperation between the two nations has also been strengthened over the past years, noting that Japan has assisted Vietnam in studying, exploiting and using its maritime resources and environment in a sustainable manner.
Japan has also shared experience with and transferred technology to Vietnam, while helping improve the capacity of Vietnamese officials in the fields of maritime science and technology, maritime economic development and environmental protection, while assisting Vietnam in enhancing its law enforcement capacity at sea, said Deputy PM Dung.
He proposed that in the future, Japan will continue to support and work closely with Vietnam in the area of environment, especially the marine environment. Vietnam hopes for Japan’s help in improving its capacity in forecasting, thus giving a timely response to natural disasters, climate change and sea level rise, along with the provision of equipment, technology and personnel training for maritime resources and environmental research, Deputy PM Dung said.
The Deputy PM also called for Japan’s collaboration in implementing Vietnam’s initiative to set up regional marine partnerships in plastic waste management on East Asia seas.
For his part, Fukui Teru said that the strategic partnership between the two countries is developing in a positive, diverse and practical manner in many spheres with different forms.
The Japanese Government pays special attention to fostering cooperation with Vietnam, especially in maritime research, he said, affirming that Japan is willing to share information and experience in ocean policy with Vietnam so that both countries can become sea-based rich nations.
He proposed that Vietnam, as coordinator of Japan-ASEAN relations, make more contributions to fostering collaboration among the nations in the management of plastic waste in the ocean.
