PM Pham Minh Chinh (left) and his Japanese counterpart Kishida Fumio at their joint press conference. (Photo: VNA)Following is the full text of the joint statement.
At the invitation of the Prime Minister of Japan H.E. Kishida Fumio, H.E. Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of the SocialistRepublic of Vietnam, made an official visit to Japan from the 22nd to the 25thof November 2021. Prime Minister Chinh was the first foreign leader to visitfollowing the inauguration of Japan's new administration. The two sidesconsented to work closely together to develop their Extensive StrategicPartnership into an increasingly substantive and effective partnership in allareas and to elevate it to new heights. Current cooperation items are summarisedin the Fact Sheet.
As the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations is approaching, both sidesnoted with pleasure the remarkable achievements in relations in all aspectsover the past half a century, and expressed confidence at this criticaljuncture in the bright future of relations for the next semi-centenary.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh conveyed greetings, salutations and invitationsfrom General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong,State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and Chairman of the National Assembly VuongDinh Hue to Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress, and other leaders of Japanto soon visit Vietnam.
Development of bilateral relations
1. Both sides welcomed the strong, comprehensive and substantial development ofbilateral relations in many fields. They confirmed that both countries areimportant partners for each other and share many common strategic interests.Both sides also confirmed that there remain great potentials for furtherdeepening of their Extensive Strategic Partnership. Both sides consented tocontinue to work closely with the goal of ensuring regional and internationalpeace, stability and prosperity. Japan expressed recognition of Vietnam’sincreasing role and constructive contributions in international and regionalissues in addition to confirmation of Vietnam’s consistent importance inJapan’s foreign policy toward the Indo-Pacific region. Vietnam acknowledgedJapan’s role as an important and longstanding partner and expressed the desirefor Japan to continue to play a positive and constructive role in internationaland regional issues.
2. Frequent, high level bilateral visits and exchanges have strengthenedpolitical ties while ever more robust cooperation in economy, trade andinvestment has contributed to further growth of economic ties. Substantialdevelopment has also been made in numerous fields, ranging from security,agriculture, science and technology, education and training, the environment,climate change countermeasures, labor issues, construction, ICT, health,culture, tourism, sports to municipal and people to people exchange. PrimeMinister Pham Minh Chinh praised Japan’s successful hosting of Tokyo 2020Olympic and Paralympic Games.
3. Vietnam expressed gratitude to the Government of Japan and the Japanesepeople for the effective support for its socio-economic development and povertyreduction efforts through Official Development Assistance (ODA) during the pastthirty years. Vietnam expressed appreciation for the active role andcontribution that Japanese companies have made to the development of itseconomy and nation building process.
Cooperation in measures against the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19)
4. As the COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented impacts on thesocio-economy of countries around the world including Vietnam and Japan, thetwo Prime Ministers consented to work closely together on COVID-19 measures.
5. Prime Minister Kishida announced that the Government of Japan willadditionally provide 1.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the Governmentof Vietnam. Prime Minister Chinh expressed his gratitude and high appreciationto the Government of Japan and the Japanese people for sharing COVID-19vaccines that will amount to 5.6 million doses in total as well as many medicalequipment and materials. Both sides consented to continue to work closely onresearch and production of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics.
Strengthening political relations, security cooperation
6. Both sides consented to maintain high-level visits, exchanges, dialogues,and exchanges between political parties and parliaments in various formsincluding at multilateral frameworks. Both sides confirmed that they wouldimprove the effectiveness of existing dialogue and consultation frameworks invarious areas.
7. Both sides consented in strengthening cooperation to address non-traditionalsecurity issues such as cybersecurity, prevention of cybercrime, terrorism andtransnational crimes, and food and natural resource security. They alsorecognized the importance of resilient, diverse, secure, and transparent supplychain.
8. Both sides, as coastal nations, recognized the importance of maintainingmaritime freedom and openness and respecting international law including theUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the United NationsCharter. They also confirmed to further strengthen cooperation in maritimesecurity including capacity development of the Vietnamese maritime authorities,ocean economic development, and the sustainable development and utilisation ofocean resources.
9. The two Prime Ministers welcomed the various cooperative efforts between thedefense authorities of Japan and Vietnam that have made progress, under theidea of the Japan-Vietnam bilateral defense cooperation at a new period forpeace and stability of the region and the international community. PrimeMinister Kishida stated that Japan will provide cooperation includingdispatching Japanese experts comprising mainly of Japan Ground Self-DefenseForce’s personnel to Vietnam to assist Vietnamese preparation to participate inpeacekeeping operations, Prime Minister Chinh welcomed this. Both sideswelcomed that both defense authorities will accelerate consultations for thetransfer of specific equipment including naval vessels and related equipment inlight of the Agreement concerning the Transfer of Defense Equipment andTechnology. Both Prime Ministers also welcomed that the defense authorities ofJapan and Vietnam will promote cooperation in the fields of cybersecurity andmilitary medicine.
Cooperation for post COVID-19 economic revitalization
10. Prime Minister Kishida stated that Japan will continue to contribute to Vietnam'ssocio-economic development. Prime Minister Chinh praised Prime MinisterKishida's new economic strategy for a virtuous cycle of growth and distributionand expressed confidence that the strategy would lead Japan to a new and stablestage of development. Japan highly appreciated Vietnam’s strategic orientationsand directions as reflected in its 10-year Socio-economic Development Strategyfor 2021-2030.
11. The two Prime Ministers consented to further facilitate businesscollaborations between Japanese and Vietnamese companies as well as improvingthe investment environment for companies through cooperation in such areas asdigital transformation, diversification of the production base and developmentof supporting industries towards resilient global supply chains, including ofboth countries, which are keys for post COVID-19 economic revitalization. Bothsides will continue cooperating in industrial development, and will considerexpanding the scope of cooperation in training and consultation on kaizen,business matching, and capacity building for Vietnamese manufacturers to enablethem to join Japanese companies’ supply chain in Vietnam, in the region and theworld.
12. The two Prime Ministers shared their perceptions of digital transformationand the development of the digital economy as digital societies will play animportant role in the post COVID-19 era. They consented to strengthencooperation in creative innovation, ICT, digital transformation, digitaleconomy, realization of smart cities through project formation studies etc, thedevelopment of broadband infrastructure including 5G, and information security.In this context, they recognized that technology ecosystems built upon trust,integrity, and resilience will foster innovation and make the lives of citizensmore secure, prosperous, and rewarding, in addition to addressing some of theworld’s greatest shared challenges, such as equitable growth, climate change,energy security, and pandemic diseases.
13. The two Prime Ministers highly value the active role and contribution ofJapan's ODA, and shared the intention to continuously implement developmentcooperation between the two countries in an effective and smooth manner toensure their interests and meeting the needs of Vietnam. The two PrimeMinisters consented to work together to increase direct investment from Japanto Vietnam. Prime Minister Chinh welcomed Japanese companies to choose Vietnamas an investment destination and reaffirmed Vietnam's commitment to create anopen and transparent investment environment and create a favorable environmentfor companies to conduct businesses. The two Prime Ministers consented tocontinue to work closely together to resolve difficulties in implementingJapan's ODA projects in Vietnam and to promote regional connectivity as well aspriority infrastructure projects such as Vietnam's railroads, airports, portsand highways, which contribute to the development of industrial infrastructure.The two Prime Ministers consented to actively promote post COVID-19 recoveryODA programs which address emerging needs and interest of the two countries andmatch the great potentials of their Extensive Strategic Partnership toward thefuture, with focus on notably the four fields: transport infrastructure,climate change infrastructure, healthcare and digital transformation for postCOVID-19 economic recovery, taking into account the importance ofconcessionality, simple procedures and flexibility in implementation, andinstructed relevant authorities of both countries to launch intensivediscussion on the programmes.
14. The two Prime Ministers confirmed that Vietnam and Japan will promotetourism cooperation, facilitate travel, so that tourism statistics can soonrestore to 1.5 million which is the same level as before the COVID-19 pandemicas soon as possible, and increase tourism exchanges even more than before. Theyalso confirmed to continue discussions for early mutual recognition ofvaccination certificate between the two countries.
Cooperation in human resource development
15. The two Prime Ministers confirmed to make their efforts in the cooperationfor Vietnam's administrative reforms, the development of high quality humanresources, and the promotion of training opportunities for high-level officialsand executives of the Party and government. The two Prime Ministers consentedto strengthen cooperation on addressing issues regarding Vietnamese technicalintern trainees and students who are playing important roles for the Japaneseeconomy and society. Being aware of the need to improve their livingenvironment, conditions and social security, the two Prime Ministers instructedrelevant authorities to work together in both countries to tackle the issues.
Cooperation on sustainable development, climate change measures and agriculture
16. The two Prime Ministers took note of the importance of maintainingcooperation in environmental protection for sustainable development, disasterrisk reduction, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and greentransformation. Both Prime Ministers reaffirmed their determination toimplementing global agreements and commitments on sustainable development suchas the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on ClimateChange and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. PrimeMinister Kishida welcomed Vietnam’s carbon neutral target by 2050, as announcedrecently by Prime Minister Chinh at the World Leaders Summit at COP 26, asbeing compatible with the 1.5 Celsius degree goal of the Paris Agreement. The twoPrime Ministers consented to strengthen cooperation in green transformation,emission reductions and climate resilience, the environment and climate changemeasures to achieve the above commitments.
17. Both leaders reaffirmed to work closely to continue the effectiveimplementation of the “Medium-to Long-Term Vision for Japan-VietnamAgricultural Cooperation”, and to promote high quality agriculture cooperation,including investment attraction, and the transfer of technology and know-how inthis field.
Cooperation on energy transitions
18. The two Prime Ministers recognised the importance of simultaneouslyachieving both sustainable economic growth and reduction of greenhouse gasemissions as well as various pathways for realistic transitions depending onthe circumstances of each country and constant innovation in order to achievecarbon neutrality by 2050. Prime Minister Kishida announced that Japan wouldprovide comprehensive support for energy transitions in Vietnam through “AsiaEnergy Transition Initiative (AETI)” including the formulation of roadmaps andPrime Minister Chinh welcomed this.
Cooperation for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomaticrelations between Japan and Vietnam
19. The two Prime Ministers shared the recognition of the importance of holdingprojects suitable for their relationship in commemoration of the 50thanniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnamin 2023. Both Prime Ministers confirmed that both countries would work closelytogether to successfully carry out projects to further promote friendship,mutual understanding and exchange of peoples between the two countries invarious fields.
Regional and international issues
20. Prime Minister Kishida congratulated Vietnam on its successful role as anon-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the term 2020-2021 andASEAN Chair in 2020. Prime Minister Kishida also expressed gratitude for theclose cooperation provided by Vietnam as ASEAN coordinator for Japan in the2018-2021 term. Both Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment tostrengthening wide-ranging cooperation in regional and internationalconferences, including the UN, APEC, ASEM, EAS, ASEAN 3, Japan-ASEAN Summit,ARF, and ADMM-Plus, and to proactively and constructively contribute to themaintenance of regional and global peace, stability, cooperation anddevelopment.
21. The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed the importance of ASEAN unity andcentrality, and their close cooperation for the steady and effectiveimplementation of the revised implementation plan of the Vision Statement onJapan-ASEAN Friendship and Cooperation as well as the Joint Statement of the23rd ASEAN-Japan Summit on Cooperation on ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.The two Prime Ministers recognized the importance of strengthening cooperationto address the unprecedented challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic poses to theregion and the world, and shared the intention to cooperate in promotingJapan-ASEAN cooperation in COVID-19 countermeasures and post COVID-19 economicrevitalization. The two Prime Ministers welcomed the outstanding achievementsof ASEAN-Japan cooperation over the years and looked forward to celebrating the50th Anniversary of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation with a series ofcommemorative events in the year 2023. They also shared the view that a specialsummit that Japan would host in 2023 would be a historic opportunity to bringASEAN-Japan partnership to a new level.
22. The two Prime Ministers expressed their pleasure at the steady progress ofJapan-Mekong cooperation. Prime Minister Chinh expressed his gratitude to Japanfor its long-standing contribution to the development of the Mekong region. Thetwo Prime Ministers consented to strengthen cooperation to improve theefficiency and role of future Japan-Mekong cooperation. The two Prime Ministersreaffirmed the importance of sustainable management and development of theMekong River and shared the intention to promote close cooperation between theJapan-Mekong framework and the Mekong regional organizations, especially theInternational Mekong River Commission.
23. The two Prime Ministers consented to further promote free trade, andwelcomed the entry into force of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership(RCEP) Agreement on January 1, 2022. Both Prime Ministers reiterated the needfor coordinating with Parties to ensure the full implementation of theAgreement. Both Prime Ministers consented on the importance of working togetherwith the other members to uphold the high standards of the Comprehensive andProgressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
24. The two Prime Ministers expressed serious concerns about the situation inthe South China Sea and any unilateral attempts to change the status quo andincrease tensions. The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed the importance ofsustaining peace, security, safety, freedom of navigation in and overflightabove the South China Sea, self-restraint, and peaceful resolution of disputesin accordance with international law in particular the United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The two Prime Ministers emphasizedthe importance of urging countries concerned to avoid unilateral actions thatwould militarise, change the status quo or complicate the situation in theSouth China Sea. The two Prime Ministers stressed the importance of full andeffective implementation of the South China Sea Declaration of Conduct (DOC),took note of the progress of the South China Sea Code of Conduct (COC)negotiations and emphasized the importance of an effective and substantive COCthat is consistent with the 1982 UNCLOS.
25. Prime Minister Kishida explained Japan’s efforts to realize a free and openIndo-Pacific. The two Prime Ministers emphasized the importance of free andopen order based on the rule of law, where international law including theCharter of the United Nations, the independence of nations, and sovereignty arerespected, in achieving stability, cooperation and prosperity in the Indo-Pacificregion and the world. The two Prime Ministers welcomed their contributions andinitiatives for that goal. Prime Minister Kishida reaffirmed that Vietnam andASEAN are important partners for Japan and Japan's willingness to support andcooperate with Vietnam and ASEAN, including for the AOIP, under the principleof ASEAN centrality.
26. The two Prime Ministers exchanged views and expressed concern over therecent situation in the Korean Peninsula including the Democratic People’sRepublic of Korea (DPRK)’s recent missile launches, which are not conducive tothe peace and security of the region. In this regard, both Prime Ministersconfirmed the importance of international cooperation and the fullimplementation of UN Security Council resolutions, and the urgency for allparties concerned to continue efforts to pursue peaceful and diplomaticsolutions of the issues including dismantlement of all weapons of massdestruction and ballistic missiles of all ranges in accordance with UNSCRs, forregional and global peace, security, stability, cooperation and prosperity. Thetwo Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperationfor the immediate resolution of the abductions issue.
27. Prime Minister Kishida supported ASEAN's efforts such as the implementationof the Five Point Consensus to address the situation in Myanmar, and emphasizedthe importance of constructive response by Myanmar. Prime Minister Chinhexpressed his gratitude to Japan for its support for ASEAN on the situation inMyanmar including humanitarian assistance. The two Prime Ministers confirmedthat they would further cooperate on the situation in Myanmar.
28. Prime Minister Chinh confirmed Vietnam's support for Japan's candidaturefor a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in the term 2023-2024. Thetwo Prime Ministers reaffirmed the importance of UN Security Council reform.Prime Minister Kishida expressed his gratitude to Vietnam for its support forthe UN Security Council reform, including Japan becoming a permanent member.
29. The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to realizing a worldwithout nuclear weapons. They shared their views that the Treaty on theNon-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is the cornerstone of theinternational nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, and that thetwo countries continue to work closely to achieve a successful outcome at the10th NPT Review Conference. In this respect, Prime Minister Chinh reiterated Vietnam’sstrong support for Japan's initiative to submit “Joint courses of action andfuture-oriented dialogue towards a world without nuclear weapons” adopted atthe First Committee of the UN General Assembly on October 27, 2021. Prime MinisterKishida expressed his appreciation to Vietnam's support.
Prime Minister Chinh expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the respectful andwarm welcome from Prime Minister Kishida to this high-level delegation toJapan. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh extended invitation for Prime MinisterKishida to visit Vietnam at the earliest possible opportunity and PrimeMinister Kishida appreciated this kind invitation./.
VNA
