A section of metro line No. 1 built with Japan's ODA in HCM City (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Planning andInvestment (MoPI) pledged to provide the best possible conditions for Japaneseenterprises to operate in Vietnam and cooperate with Vietnamese localities.
The commitment was made by MoPI Deputy MinisterNguyen Van Trung at a talk between leaders of 26 Japanese firms and 36provinces and cities of Vietnam in Hanoi on January 16.
The function was part of an official visit tothe Southeast Asian nation by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Trung described the potential for investmentcooperation as huge. Japan is currently the second biggest foreign investor andthe fourth largest trading partner in Vietnam. It has invested in mostprovinces and cities and key economic sectors in the country.
Japanese firms are the most practical channel ofexternal relations and economic partnership, helping with Vietnam’ssocio-economic development, he said, lauding effective investment projects fromJapan.
Hiroto Izumi, an advisor to the Japanese PM,said more than 1,600 Japanese companies operate in Vietnam and have greatlycontributed to local development.
His country’s Government welcomes economicpartnerships between Japanese and Vietnamese localities and wants to supportthose activities.
He believes that the time is ripe for localitiesof Vietnam to introduce their advantages to Japanese enterprises and improvethe investment climate.
At the talk, some Japanese firms said eachprovince should highlight their unique advantages to attract investment.
They said transport is a field in which Japancan assist Vietnam, adding that Hanoi should develop a public railway system toease traffic congestion, and Japan is ready to help Hanoi build this system.
Participants at the event also looked intocooperation potential in manufacturing, agriculture, food processing, trade andservices.-VNA
VNA
