The first carriage of HCM City’s Metro Line 1 was manufactured in Japan.(Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNA)- Ho Chi Minh City hopes to be a model of local-to-local cooperation betweenVietnam and Japan, Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, said ata ceremony on September 20 to mark the 50th anniversary of the two countries' diplomatic ties.
Mai said the southern metropolis has set up cooperative ties with seven Japanese localities, adding that the relationshipwith Japanese localities in particular and Japanese partners in general isalways one of the city's top priorities.
In the context that Japan isstrengthening connections with the Mekong region and promoting the vision of afree and open Indo-Pacific region, HCM City can play an important role inconnecting regional supply and value chains, contributing to shaping a fair,stable and sustainable regional security architecture, he continued.
He said that the city wishes and stands ready, together with the Government and Japanese partners, in exploring andimplementing initiatives to create a broader development space for both peoples,as well as for the regional and global communities.
HCM City hopes that Japaneseinvestors will continue to promote investment in potential areas such asproduction and transportation infrastructure, logistics, healthcare and urbandevelopment, he said, adding it expects to create a new Official DevelopmentAssistance cooperation model with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA),through a dynamic combination of JICA's aid, the city's budget, businesses'investment and the involvement of service users.
For his part, Ono Masuo,Consul General of Japan in HCM City, said that the friendly and cooperativerelationship between the two countries is growing in many fields, suchas economics, politics, culture and sports. The visit to Vietnam by Japanese CrownPrince Akishino and his wife from September 20 - 21 will offer a new turningpoint for Japan-Vietnam relations, he noted.
According to the ConsulateGeneral of Japan, the number ofJapanese businesses investing in HCM City and southern localities has exceeded1,000 businesses, elaborating that Japanese enterprises have expandedto providing goods and services to the Vietnamese domestic market, instead offocusing only on manufacturing for export.
Japan wishes to continue cooperatingwith HCM City to further develop friendship and cooperation between the twocountries, Ono said./.
