Vietnam strengthen ties with Japan’s Fukuoka prefecture; Vietnam boosts ties with Japan’s political parties; Deputy PM receives Lao Minister of Energy and Mining; Vietnam, China strengthens cooperative ties; Vietnamese and Lao provinces strengthen ties

A top-level Vietnamese delegation led by Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh visited the Fukuoka prefecture in southwestern Japan on April 21.

The Vietnamese Party leader was received by the governor Wataru Aso, who spoke highly of Mr Manh’s visit to Japan.

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh said that Vietnam always attaches great importance to strengthening its relationship and cooperation with Japan.

He praised the contributions Fukuoka has made in strengthening ties with Vietnam, particularly in the fields of economics, trade, investment, culture and education. Fukuoka mainly exports steel, vehicles and various kinds of machinery to Vietnam. Many big Japanese investors run businesses in Vietnam, and the number of Japanese visitors to Vietnam has shot up thanks to the direct air service from HCM City to Fukuoka, he added.

The Party leader also highlighted the role he Vietnamese General Consulate in Fukuoka has played, saying it has done a great job in boosting the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

In February 2008, Hanoi and Fukuoka signed an agreement to promote cultural exchanges and cooperate in economics, business and tourism.

Fukuoka is considered by many to be a melting pot of Asian cultures. It has many key economic sectors, including the auto industry, bio technology, hydro-electricity, robotics, and digital and information technology. Fukuoka also has one of Japan’s biggest seaports and airports, and is renowned for its human resources training.

Vietnam boosts ties with Japan’s political parties

Vietnam wants to strengthen relations with Japan’s political parties to promote bilateral cooperation, said Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh.

Mr Manh made the statement in Tokyo on April 21 while receiving the Chairperson of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) Executive Committee Kazuo Shii, the Komei Party Chief Representative Akihiro Ota, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Vice President Katsuya Okada, the New People’s Party President Tamisuke Watanuki and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) President Mizuho Fukushima.

He said that relations between Vietnam and Japan are developing well in politics, economics, culture and people’s diplomacy.

Vietnam attaches great importance to developing its relationship with Japan, considering it one of its most important, he said.

The Vietnamese Party leader thanked Japan for providing its official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam’s socio-economic development and poverty reduction programmes. He welcomed Japan’s increased private investment in Vietnam and hoped that Japan would continue to speed up the pace of key projects in Vietnam such as the North-South highway, the North-South express railway line and the Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park.

The Japanese party leaders spoke highly of Vietnam’s solutions for sustaining the macro economy amidst the global economic and financial crunch. They expressed their belief that Vietnam will overcome current difficulties and make greater achievements in national construction and development.

The JCP president and DPJ vice president supported the Japanese government in providing ODA to Vietnam and said they hope the country will use the capital effectively.

The same day, Mr Manh met with representatives of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary League, the Vietnam-Japan Special Friendship Ambassador and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

In the afternoon, he flew to Fukuoka prefecture where he met with governor Wataru Aso.

Deputy PM receives Lao Minister of Energy and Mining

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai received the visiting Lao Minister of Energy and Mining, Soulivong Daravong, at the Governmental Office in Hanoi on April 22.

The Lao guest expressed his pleasure at the fine development in the relationship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. He said he is looking forward to closer cooperation, especially in the fields of energy and mining.

Deputy PM Hai highly valued Minister Daravong’s working visit to Vietnam, saying both sides should boost cooperation in heavy industry, particularly in the energy sector.

After hearing the Lao Minister’s report on the result of negotiations on electricity prices for power plants to be put into operation in the near future, Deputy PM Hai stressed that in the upcoming working session with the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, both sides should calculate conditions and conduct comprehensive negotiations on the construction, operation and financing of the plants in order to reach a common agreement at reasonable price level.

Vietnam, China strengthens cooperative ties

Vietnam wants to learn from China’s experience in management and development of ethnic minority people’s daily lives, said Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan.

Mr Nhan made the statement while receiving deputy head of China’s national committee for ethnicity, Yang Chuan Tang, in Hanoi on April 22.

Mr Nhan spoke highly of Mr Tang’s visit to Vietnam, which is aimed at increasing mutual understanding and promoting the exchange of high-ranking delegations between the two countries.

The Chinese guest thanked the Vietnamese government and people for their assistance to earthquake victims in Sichuan province in 2008. Since 1995 his committee has cooperated with Vietnam, with the aim of strengthening the ties of friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and China, he said.

Vietnamese and Lao provinces strengthen ties

A delegation from the Lao province of Attapeu led by its Governor and Secretary of the Party Committee, Sinai Mienglavan, on April 21 met with officials from the central highland province of Dak Lak to discuss cooperation in socio-economic development.

The two provinces’ officials shared their experience in socio-economic development and pledged to cooperate in agricultural production, cultural exchanges, educational and medical training and in other fields, to boost their economies, reduce poverty and raise people’s living standards in the two countries.

Officials from the Lao province also urged businesses from Dak Lak province to invest in building industrial plants and breeding livestock in Lao localities.

PV