Vietnam and Japan have just released a joint statement on further expanding the bilateral strategic partnership ties, beefing up efforts for bilateral, regional and international issues for peace and prosperity in Asia.
The communiqué was released after Party Chief Nong Duc Manh’s meetings with Prime Minister Taro Aso and Emperor Akihito.
The two countries agree to increase exchanges of high-level government visits each year, dialogues on political issues at deputy foreign ministerial levels.
The Vietnam-Japan economic partnership agreement will bear fruits, under which, the two countries will exempt 92 per cent of taxes on the bilateral trade.
The two sides agree to continue cooperation in infrastructure, energy, industry, manufacturing, supporting industries, logistics, IT, atomic energy for peace, space technology, education, natural disasters mitigation.
Regarding international issues, the two sides will further tighten cooperation within the UN, WTO, APEC, ASEM, ASEAN, with the focus on free trade, restrict protectionism, speeding up Doha round.
Tokyo and Hanoi also agreed to beef up cooperation in demilitarization efforts and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
Japan also hailed Vietnam’s efforts to fight corruption.
Hanoi has close ties with North Korea.
Last year, two-way trade between Vietnam and Japan hit US$15.5 billion.
Japan is the second biggest buyers of Vietnamese goods after the U.S.
By end-2008, Japan invested US$17 billion into 1,000 projects in Vietnam, ranking third among countries and territories. (Vietnam-Japan Joint Statement, The People)
Vietnamese
