QUẢNG NINH — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính called on Japanese businesses and localities to continue accompanying Việt Nam on its development journey, cultivating growth and prosperity for both countries through their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

He made the remarks at the Việt Nam–Japan Local Cooperation Forum in Quảng Ninh Province on Tuesday, which was attended by diplomats, officials and business representatives from both sides.

After five decades of official diplomatic relations, Việt Nam and Japan count more than cooperation agreements signed at the local level, forming a strong foundation for bilateral collaboration.

The forum featured over 100 networking activities and working sessions, alongside 40 booths and cultural spaces showcasing the specialities of each country.

Delivering his opening remarks, Vietnamese foreign minister Lê Hoài Trung expressed confidence that localities from both countries would continue contributing actively to the Việt Nam–Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

 

Local partnerships turned high-level commitments into tangible projects and programmes, enabling communities and their people to directly benefit from the progress of bilateral ties.

The diplomat emphasised that Việt Nam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representative missions in Japan were committed to supporting localities and businesses from both countries to connect, exchange and promote sustainable cooperation.

Japanese ambassador to Việt Nam Ito Naoki noted that the event marked “a new step forward in bilateral cooperation", bringing together Vietnamese and Japanese localities and friendship organisations to advance local-to-local connections.

This year had seen multiple large-scale projects launched and completed across Việt Nam with active participation from Japanese businesses, including the AEON Mall in Hải Phòng City, the commencement of the North Hà Nội Smart City project by Sumitomo–BRG joint venture, and the ODA-funded Eunsa drainage project.

He expressed confidence that this forum would further promote local exchanges, boost investment from both countries, and open new cooperation opportunities in community development, industry and innovation.

Addressing the event, PM Chính said the Việt Nam–Japan Local Cooperation Forum carried strategic significance, demonstrating the spirit of win-win collaboration and mutual growth for peace, stability and prosperity of both nations.

Today Japan is one of Việt Nam’s top economic partners, ranking first in official development assistance and labour cooperation, third in investment, and fourth in trade and tourism.

Following the upgrade of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2023, the two countries have established and strengthened dialogue mechanisms in diplomacy, defence, security and labour to increase mutual trust.

Meanwhile, economic linkages and cooperation in infrastructure, education, healthcare and technology transfer are expanding, with science and technology collaboration emerging as a new pillar of bilateral ties.

Bilateral trade has grown by 20 per cent, while Japanese investments in Việt Nam have risen by US$8 billion. The Vietnamese community in Japan has also grown by over 20 per cent, alongside new agreements signed between 10 Vietnamese–Japanese local partnerships.

Praising these achievements, PM Chính said that local and business-level cooperation was a key strength of Việt Nam–Japan relations, providing an efficient channel for implementing high-level agreements.

Entering a new era of development, Việt Nam was determined to remove institutional, human resource and infrastructure bottlenecks, mobilise all resources effectively, and promote economic restructuring aligned with a renewed growth model.

Science, technology, innovation and digital transformation would be key growth drivers, supporting the goal of achieving double-digit growth from 2026 and becoming a developed, high-income nation by 2045.

PM Chính called on Japan to support Việt Nam in developing innovation ecosystems, enhancing digital governance, and building policy and management capacity in priority areas such as AI, technology infrastructure and semiconductors.

Regarding the investment environment, he stressed that the Vietnamese Government would continue implementing strong, comprehensive measures aimed at transparent policies, seamless infrastructure and smart governance.

Suggesting ways to capitalise on untapped Việt Nam–Japan cooperation potential, he urged localities to be proactive and innovative in leveraging their complementary strengths to promote mutually beneficial collaboration.

Local authorities must listen to businesses from both sides to introduce incentive policies and create a more enabling environment for bilateral investment and cooperation, with the people as primary beneficiaries, focusing on better jobs, higher incomes and stronger skills.

Other key areas of cooperation would include the green transition, climate change adaptation, resource management and disaster prevention, such as joint projects in urban flood control, waste and wastewater treatment, green infrastructure, climate-smart agriculture and renewable energy. — VNS