Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan, Phạm Quang Hiệu. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Ahead of Deputy Prime Minister Lê Minh Khái's attending at the 29th Future of Asia Conference and visiting Japan from May 22 to May 25, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan, Phạm Quang Hiệu, talks to Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Tokyo about the purpose and significance of the trip, as well as the development of Việt Nam-Japan relations.

The Future of Asia Conference, organised by the Nikkei Group (Japan) since 1995, has been held 28 times and has witnessed many ups and downs in the region, from the Asian financial crisis in 1997, the global economic crisis in 2008, to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Future of Asia Conference continues to affirm its role as an important and prestigious annual dialogue channel to share and solve common regional and international issues, attracting the participation of many high-level leaders, scholars, media, and large corporations in Asia.

He emphasised that Deputy PM Khái’s attendance at the Future of Asia Conference will continue to convey a strong message about Việt Nam's image as a reliable partner and an active and responsible member of ASEAN, the region and the international community. It also reaffirms the Vietnamese Government's commitment to ensuring a favourable investment and business environment for the business community, continuing to be a safe destination for corporations amidst the uncertain world situation, as per the theme of this year's conference.

The trip takes place in the context of the excellent development of relations between the two countries, especially after 2023, when Việt Nam and Japan celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and upgraded their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia and the world. The trip will continue to affirm Việt Nam's support for Japan's initiatives, marking the first visit of a Vietnamese Government leader to Japan since the establishment of the new relationship framework between the two countries.

Ambassador Hiệu said that Việt Nam started participating in the 15th Future of Asia Conference in 2009 and has continuously sent high-level delegations to this event since then. The active participation and continuous contributions of Việt Nam's senior leaders to the success of the conference over the past 15 years have been highly appreciated by the organisers, delegates and Japan. Participation in important forums such as the Future of Asia Conference not only helps Việt Nam grasp timely trends, changes and new development orientations but also provides an opportunity to widely share Việt Nam's development thinking, governance and contributions to solving common regional and global issues.

At the conference, Việt Nam will participate in assessing and evaluating the world and regional situation, analysing urgent opportunities and challenges and seeking solutions to common difficulties and challenges with other countries, thereby strengthening trust to build a solid foundation for the future. As a responsible member of Asia and the world, Việt Nam always wishes to work with other countries in efforts to maintain and promote peace, stability, and development, and to build a better Asia.

In the context of Việt Nam and Japan just celebrating the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations and upgrading to a comprehensive strategic partnership, Ambassador Hiệu said that the relationship between the two countries over the past 50 years has achieved many strong, outstanding and comprehensive developments with high political trust in all fields of economy, trade, investment, defence-security, culture-education, agriculture, health, labour, people-to-people exchanges, local cooperation and more.

The two countries regularly exchange high-level delegations and organise meetings on the sidelines of international and regional conferences, thereby consolidating the trust relationship between the leaders of both sides and setting out major orientations for effective development in bilateral relations in all fields. The two countries also cooperate closely and effectively at international and regional forums such as the United Nations, ASEAN+ conferences, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and more, contributing positively to peace, stability, and development in the Asia-Pacific region, in line with the foreign policies of each country.

The Ambassador said the enhancement of cooperative relations has never received such broad consensus from the governments and people of the two countries as it does now.

He said the cooperation potential is still very large because they trust each other and have strengths that can complement each other for mutual development. Japan is a very important partner for Việt Nam to implement three strategic breakthroughs, realise the development goals and plans set by the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Việt Nam, promote industrialisation and modernisation, and build an independent, self-reliant economy with deep international integration.

In the near future, Việt Nam needs to focus on promoting the implementation of high-level agreements in several key areas, Hiệu said.

One priority is to continue strengthening political trust by promoting visits and contacts at all levels, particularly at the highest levels. After the milestone of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Việt Nam and Japan in 2023, it is crucial to coordinate with Japan to foster friendly cooperation across all fields, advancing Việt Nam-Japan relations into a new, more substantial, and effective stage of development.

Another important focus is to leverage the complementary strengths of the two economies to enhance economic linkages between the countries. It is essential to maintain Japan as a leading partner of Việt Nam in official development assistance (ODA), investment and trade. Việt Nam hopes that Japan will provide new-generation ODA to aid in the development of strategic infrastructure, transport infrastructure, digital transformation, climate change response and healthcare.

Additionally, Việt Nam should capitalise on the interest of Japanese businesses by positioning itself as an attractive destination for production shifts and supply chain diversification. This effort should concentrate on attracting high-quality investment, facilitating technology transfer, and supporting Vietnamese businesses in joining the supply chains of Japanese companies.

Furthermore, Việt Nam should promote cooperation in potential fields such as digital transformation, digital economy, digital society, and green transformation. These areas hold significant promise for mutual development and can contribute positively to both nations' growth and prosperity.

Ambassador Phạm Quang Hiệu expressed confidence that with the very good development momentum of the current relationship, with the aspirations and determination of the governments and peoples, the comprehensive strategic partnership between Việt Nam and Japan is facing new, promising development opportunities, bringing many practical benefits to the people of the two countries and contributing positively to peace, stability and prosperity in Asia and the world. VNS