Bắc Ninh City Party Secretary Nguyễn Hồng Thái and Watanabe Takakazu, Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Việt Nam, present the decision establishing the Japan Investment Promotion and Support Group. — Photos courtesy of Bắc Ninh City

BẮC NINH — Việt Nam’s relationship with Japan provides an important foundation for localities, including Bắc Ninh City, to expand cooperation with Japanese partners in high-tech, knowledge-intensive and high-value-added sectors.

Deputy Chairman of the Bắc Ninh City People’s Committee Phạm Văn Thịnh made the statement at a meeting between the city and Japanese businesses and investors.

The event aimed to hear and discuss investors’ concerns and address difficulties they face in investment, production and business activities. It also introduced Bắc Ninh’s potential and advantages, as well as its policies and development orientations for the new period.

Thịnh said Việt Nam and Japan shared a traditional friendship and mutual trust, with cooperation between the two countries growing increasingly broad and deep.

More than 50 years after establishing diplomatic relations, the two countries have upgraded their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World.

Japan has long been an important and trusted partner of Bắc Ninh, making practical contributions to the city’s industrialisation and modernisation, he said.

Many Japanese corporations and businesses have chosen Bắc Ninh for long-term investment, production and business operations. That trust has been reinforced by the city’s concrete development achievements.

Bắc Ninh has attracted about 3,631 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects with total registered capital of more than US$50.6 billion. Japanese investors account for around 125 of these projects, with total registered capital of nearly US$2 billion.

Nojima Masaaki, Director of the Development and Construction Division at Aeon Mall Việt Nam Co Ltd, delivers remarks.

Bắc Ninh City has officially become Việt Nam’s ninth centrally governed city, positioning it as a major growth pole for northern Việt Nam and the country as a whole.

The city is pursuing green, clean and modern industrial and service development, driven by science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and high-quality human resources.

In this new phase, Bắc Ninh aims not only to attract more investment, but also to prioritise investors and projects that align with its development strategy.

At the meeting, Watanabe Takakazu, Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Việt Nam, expressed hope that the city would create an environment in which Japanese businesses could confidently make medium- and long-term plans.

He also called for a forum where businesses could raise concerns and make recommendations when they encounter difficulties.

Watanabe further urged the city to develop its workforce, particularly by training skilled technicians and experts; build housing and improve living conditions to attract talent from other localities; and upgrade transport and logistics infrastructure.

Watanabe Takakazu, Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Việt Nam, delivers remarks.

Nojima Masaaki, a representative of Aeon Mall Co., Ltd., said the Aeon Mall Bắc Ninh Tân Tiến shopping centre was one of the city’s key projects.

He said the company had received substantial support from Bắc Ninh City during the project’s implementation. Once operational, the centre is expected to become an international-standard shopping, dining and entertainment complex.

He also expressed hope that the company would continue working closely with relevant city departments on the next stages of investment. — VNS