Party General Secretary and State President To Lam of Vietnam held talks with Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae on November 9 afternoon (local time), during his official visit to Japan, reported the Vietnam News Agency.
Prime Minister Takaichi, on her part, affirmed that Vietnam is a priority partner in Japan's foreign policy implementation and in realizing its new growth strategy.
General Secretary and President Lam stated that Vietnam always regards Japan as one of its most important strategic partners and a sincere, trustworthy friend, working together to achieve sustainable development goals. He also expressed Vietnam's support for Japan's active role in the region and the world, as well as for the successful implementation of Japan's new growth strategy.
The two leaders reviewed the progress of bilateral relations since the two countries upgraded their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2023. They highly appreciated the efforts made by both sides, noting that nearly 80% of their commitments and agreements have been implemented and have achieved significant progress.
In regard to economic cooperation, the two leaders agreed to strengthen economic connectivity to ensure economic security and enhance strategic autonomy. They also agreed to continue promoting high-quality Japanese investment in Vietnam, linked with technology transfer and the training of highly skilled human resources.
Furthermore, they discussed advancing a new generation of Official Development Assistance (ODA) cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, energy, digital transformation, and green transformation, as well as supporting large-scale, high-quality infrastructure projects in Vietnam.
General Secretary and President Lam welcomed the signing of an agreement facilitating the implementation of Japan's non-refundable aid projects in Vietnam. He proposed that both sides ensure the timely commencement of the Vietnam-Japan University and Cho Ray Hospital projects, and work closely together to achieve a bilateral trade turnover of $80 billion by 2030.
PM Takaichi emphasized Vietnam's important role in Japan's efforts to diversify and upgrade its supply chain networks. She stated that Japan would create favorable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to participate more deeply and substantively in Japanese supply chains. Japan is also ready to cooperate with Vietnam in ensuring energy security and energy reserves and in accelerating the implementation of LNG power projects in Vietnam under the POWERR Asia initiative.
The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in science, technology, and innovation based on the principles of partnership and co-creation, including public-private cooperation. They also agreed to expand collaboration in space technology, marine and ocean sciences, AI, digital technology, semiconductors, advanced medical and biological technologies, high-tech agriculture, and strategic minerals. In addition, they agreed to continue joint research projects, expand the NEXUS Program to include semiconductor and AI fields, and effectively implement 14 projects under the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM).
The top Vietnamese leader proposed establishing a network of scientists in six key areas: robotics, semiconductor chips, energy technology, biotechnology, high-speed railways, and quantum technology.
The Japanese PM affirmed Japan's willingness to actively support Vietnam by contributing to its plan to train 100 AI PhD candidates.
Both sides agreed to strengthen human resource connectivity, promote people-to-people exchanges, local cooperation, and collaboration in healthcare, labor, and education. They also agreed to closely coordinate the organization of the 3rd Vietnam-Japan Local Cooperation Forum in 2027, enhance educational cooperation, develop high-quality human resources, and promote healthcare cooperation, particularly in elderly care.
General Secretary and President Lam proposed that Japan facilitate and relax visa requirements for Vietnamese technology engineers.
Following the talks, the two leaders adopted the Vietnam-Japan Joint Vision Statement, emphasizing partnership, co-creation, and mutual benefit for high-quality growth, strategic autonomy, and resilience. They also witnessed the exchange of nine cooperation documents between ministries and agencies of the two countries in fields including maritime policy, environment, energy, education, non-refundable aid, and judicial cooperation.
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