Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Governor of Gunma prefecture Yamamoto Ichita. VNA/VNS photo

 HÀ NỘI – Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính hosted a reception in Hà Nội on October 14 for visiting Governor of Gunma prefecture Yamamoto Ichita and representatives of 25 businesses from the Japanese locality.

The PM expressed his belief that the visit will contribute to enhancing cooperation between Gunma and Việt Nam and to materialising the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, established in late 2023.

Noting with pleasure the strong, substantive, and effective developments of the bilateral ties across spheres with high political trust, Chính said he and PM Shigeru Ishiba had committed to advancing the relationship, making it more intensive, comprehensive, and effective, during their recent meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summits in Laos.

Apart from economic cooperation, the two sides will also pay more attention to enhancing collaboration between localities, the PM said.

The leader lauded the determination, efforts, and initiatives by the Governor and Gunma’s authorities in enhancing the relations with Việt Nam over the past time, especially with Hà Nam province, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and the Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam; and in promoting the Việt Nam-Japan University project.

He also highlighted their support for nearly 12,000 Vietnamese in the prefecture.

Briefing the guests on Việt Nam’s major socio-economic achievements in the first nine months of this year, Chinh stressed that the Vietnamese Government is pushing ahead with administrative reform and strategic infrastructure development, particularly transport infrastructure, in order to reduce logistics and input costs for businesses and raise the competitiveness of goods.

The PM suggested that Gunma and the Governor continue to foster cooperation with Vietnamese localities, including Hà Nam, through specific projects that optimise their strengths.

Việt Nam stands ready to facilitate the investment and operation of Gunma enterprises, he said, urging the prefecture to encourage its firms to invest more in the country in areas such as high-tech agriculture, processing, manufacturing, and supporting industries.

The PM also suggested stronger cooperation in high-quality personnel training, education, culture and cultural industries, people-to-people exchanges, and university partnerships, calling on Gunma to receive more Vietnamese interns and workers.

He called for enhanced collaboration and the sharing of experiences in restructuring the economy in a more sustainable manner, and promoting digital transformation, green transition, circular economy, and sharing economy.

For his part, Yamamoto said he is interested in strengthening cooperation with Việt Nam, particularly in high-quality workforce, appreciating the country’s great investment opportunities and the outstanding development of its localities, including Hà Nam.

According to the Governor, many participating enterprises have decided to invest in Việt Nam, while many others expressed their interest in investing, especially in Hà Nội and Hồ Chí Minh City.

Yamamoto said he hopes for intensified cooperation with Việt Nam in economy and investment, especially in digital transformation, personnel training, labour, and cultural exchange. He vowed to encourage local businesses to invest in Việt Nam, especially in developing onsen resorts. VNS