Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng (right) welcomes President and CEO of the JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corp (JX NOEX) Hiroshi Hosoi in Hà Nội on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng highly evaluated proposals of co-operation in exploring and exploiting oil and gas made by President and CEO of the JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corp (JX NOEX) Hiroshi Hosoi during their meeting in Hà Nội on Wednesday.
Dũng asked the Japanese firm to soon work with the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) as well as relevant ministries, sectors and agencies to carry out co-operation activities.
The Deputy PM said Japan is an important economic, trade and investment partner of Việt Nam. Japan is the biggest provider of Official Development Assistance (ODA) worth about US$30 billion for Việt Nam, and the second largest foreign investor in Việt Nam with 4,020 projects with total registered capital of $57 billion, he said.
Last year, two-way trade reached $38 billion, Dũng said, adding that around 800,000 Japanese tourists visited Việt Nam while 200,000 Vietnamese holidaymakers travelled to Japan.
The Deputy PM underlined the efforts of the Japanese Government and businesses in striving to lead countries and territories in terms of investment in Việt Nam in 2017 and 2018.
Japanese enterprises are making active contributions to Việt Nam’s socio-economic development, he said.
Dũng extolled JX NOEX’s business performance in Việt Nam, especially in applying technical solutions to enhance oil recovery, helping to stabilise Việt Nam’s exploited oil output.
The Deputy PM also hailed the company’s social welfare activities, which have contributed about $2 million to social welfare work in Việt Nam.
Hosoi thanked the Vietnamese Government and Vietnamese Embassy in Japan for supporting JX NOEX to operate effectively since 1992, including the implementation of oil and gas projects.
The company hoped to make long-term investment in Việt Nam, not only in oil and gas exploration and exploitation but also in other fields, he said. — VNS