Yoshida said during the talks between PM Suga and hisVietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the two PM expressed theirsatisfaction about the strong and comprehensive development of Japan – Vietnamties with high political trust, mutual support and increased internationalcooperation in the fight against COVID-19. The visit has contributed to furthertightening connections between the two leaders.
According to the spokesman, PM Suga affirmed that the Japan– Vietnam relationship is now at its best in history. The PM has attachedimportance to relations with Vietnam, evidenced by his selection of Vietnam asthe first destination of his first overseas trip after taking office.
PM Suga said Japan is offering technical assistance andmedical supplies worth 40 million USD to Vietnam and will work closely withVietnam in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
Having spoken highly of bilateral cooperation in humanresources, the PM pledged to continue supporting the Vietnamese community inJapan.
He also expressed his sympathy with Vietnam over huge lossescaused by floods in the central region, adding that the Japanese Government hasdecided to offer equipment as urgent relief to Vietnam via the JapanInternational Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The two leaders also discussed several new mechanisms forVietnamese guest workers to work in Japan, and projects using officialdevelopment assistance (ODA) funded by Japan, Yoshida said.
They presented their joint vision on the Indo-Pacificstrategy with a liberal and broad vision.
Regarding the East Sea issue, the two leaders reaffirmed theimportance of ensuring peace, security, safety and freedom of navigation andaviation, and respect for law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention onthe Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Following the talks, they witnessed the exchange of documentsworth about 4 billion USD signed between ministries, agencies, localities andbusinesses.
On the occasion, the spokesperson answered reporters’questions about ODA cooperation, policies to attract Japanese firms to Vietnam,and bilateral defence, economic, trade and investment ties./.