PM visits Japan to boost bilateral cooperation
June 4 (VNA) -- The current working visit to Japan by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai for the "Asia's Future" seminar from June 4-8 is expected to boost the multi-faceted cooperation between Viet Nam and Japan.
The visit, the second by PM Khai after his official visit to Japan in March 1999, is a further exchange of high-level visits between the two countries' leaders. Annually, Viet Nam and Japan conduct high-level meetings. The former Prime Ministers of Japan Tomiichi Murayama, Ryutaro Hashimoto and Keizo Obuchi visited Viet Nam in August 1994, January 1997 and December 1998, respectively. Since 1993, Viet Nam's Party General Secretary, Prime Minister, National Assembly Chairman, and Foreign Minister have made visits to Japan.
The diplomatic relationship between Viet Nam and Japan was established in 1973 and has blossomed especially since 1992, when Japan resumed its Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Viet Nam. The bilateral cooperation in politics, economics, and cultural exchange has been increasingly extended.
Japan is the first trade partner of Viet Nam with two-way trade reaching USD 3.5 billion in 1999, USD 4.8 billion in 2000, and USD 1.44 billion in the first four months of this year. Japan currently has 311 valid projects in Viet Nam with a combined capital of USD 3.93 billion, ranking third among foreign investors after Singapore and Taiwan. Viet Nam and Japan are conducting negotiations on an agreement of investment protection to boost Japan's investment in Viet Nam.
Japan also is the biggest ODA supplier to Viet Nam with more than USD 7.5 billion granted in the 1992-2000 period, including USD 900 million as non-refundable aid. In the 2000 fiscal year, Japan committed USD 800 million, representing 40 percent of all ODA capital pledged by international donors for Viet Nam. Japan's long-term assistance programme in Viet Nam focuses on five major fields: human resource development and institutionalisation building, development and upgrade of communication and power facilities, infrastructure facility construction for agricultural and rural development, education and health care development, and environmental protection.
In addition, Japan is a potential market for Viet Nam's labour export. By late last year, more than 5,570 Vietnamese workers had been sent to Japan.
The two countries have joined in carrying out programmes on culture and education, the ASEAN-Japan youth programme, cultural delegation exchanging programmes and non-refundable cultural aid projects, promoting their mutual understanding and cooperation.
In tourism, the number of Japanese visitors is increasing with about 160,000 Japanese tourists arriving in Viet Nam last year, or year-on-year increase of 33 percent.
During the 1994-1999 period, the Japanese Government donated JPY 9.5 billion to help Viet Nam build 195 primary schools in natural disaster-prone mountainous and coastal provinces. The Japanese Government also grants about 50 scholarships every year to Vietnamese students to study in Japan.
Appreciating Japan's assistance and cooperation, Viet Nam has always attached importance to the development of its relations with Japan. For its part, Japan supports Viet Nam's open policies and its integration into the regional and world economies. The two countries have coordinated and supported each other at regional and world forums such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, the World Trade Organisation, and the ASEAN Regional Forum.--VNA
