At the third Vietnam-Japan Cooperation Committee (VJCC) meeting, which concluded in Tokyo on January 18, the two sides discussed issues related to their bilateral ties in areas such as economics, trade, culture, tourism and labour as well as international issues of common concern.

They said they were pleased with the development of their cooperation over the past year and put forth measures to concretise their strategic partnership in the time to come.

At the two-day meeting, co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem and Japanese Foreign Minister Okada Katsuya, the two sides discussed measures to accelerate deals under the Vietnam-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (VJEPA), helping strengthen economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries as they are both feeling the heavy impact of the global economic-financial crisis.

Deputy PM Khiem thanked the Japanese government for increasing ODA for Vietnam to a record high of US$1.6 billion in the 2009 fiscal year.

He suggested the Japanese government actively participate in the implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects in Vietnam, including the North-South Expressway and Express Railway and Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park.

After the meeting, Mr Khiem told the Vietnam News Agency that the “third VJCC meeting was wrapped up successfully”.

He said that Japan would actively cooperate with Vietnam in implementing the three above-mentioned strategic projects.

The two sides agreed to hold negotiations on cooperation in training Vietnamese nurses in Japan as well as developing supporting industries and quarantine work so as to enable Vietnam’s agricultural products to further penetrate the Japanese market.

According to the Vietnamese Deputy PM, cooperation between Vietnam and Japan have been developing fruitfully last year despite the global crisis.

The VJEPA, which officially took effect on October 1, 2009, has helped create an important legal foundation for fostering the investment and trade cooperation between the two countries, he said.

Over the past year, people-to-people exchange and tourism cooperation between Vietnam and Japan have been remarkably strengthened with a series of cultural events held in both countries, including the Vietnam Festival in Japan and Vietnam-Japan Cultural Exchange Days and the Mekong-Japan Tourism and Culture Days in Vietnam.

The two countries’ cooperation at international and regional forums has seen considerable progress worthy of their strategic partnership, he concluded.

On January 18, Deputy PM Khiem left Tokyo for Osaka and Wakayama, where he will meet with local authorities and have working sessions with the Japan Buddhism Summit Organisation and the Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren).

VNN/VNA/VOV