Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son welcomed and held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko.

On the morning of October 10, at the Government Guest House, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son welcomed and held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko.

Bộ trưởng Ngoại giao Bùi Thanh Sơn đón, hội đàm với Bộ trưởng Ngoại giao Nhật Bản Kamikawa Yoko

At the invitation of Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko visited Vietnam from October 10-11. This is the first visit to Vietnam by a Japanese female Foreign Minister after nearly a month since she was appointed to the position of Foreign Minister in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Previously, on the occasion of Ms. Kamikawa Yoko being appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, on September 13, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son sent a congratulatory message.

The visit to Vietnam by the Japanese Foreign Minister took place in the context of the good development of Vietnam-Japan relations and was carried out in the year the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (1973-2023).

It can be affirmed that over the past 50 years, the two countries have become extremely important partners, sharing many common strategic interests. The framework of the relationship has been continuously upgraded from “Trusted and stable long-term partnership” (2002) to “Towards strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia” (2006), “Strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia” (2009) and “Extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia” (2014).

The two sides also cooperate closely and effectively at international and regional forums such as the United Nations, ASEAN+ conferences, APEC, ASEM, etc., making increasingly positive contributions to peace, stability and development in the Asia-Pacific region, in line with Vietnam's foreign policy of autonomy, diversification and multilateralization.

Japan was the first G7 country to welcome the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (1995), the first G7 country to establish a strategic partnership with Vietnam (2009), the first G7 country to recognize Vietnam's market economy status (2011), and also the first G7 country to invite a Vietnamese leader to attend the expanded G7 Forum (2016) and continued to invite Vietnam to participate in May 2023. In the photo: Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko writes in the golden book opened at the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The two countries regularly exchange high-level delegations and hold meetings on the sidelines of international and regional conferences, thereby strengthening the trust between the two countries' leaders and setting out major orientations for effective development in bilateral relations in all fields.

Currently, Japan is the largest ODA provider, the second largest labor cooperation partner, the third largest investor, the third largest tourism partner and the fourth largest trade partner of Vietnam.

Political, diplomatic, security, defense, economic, educational and training relations have been increasingly strengthened, deepened and substantiated. Cultural activities, people-to-people exchanges and local cooperation have become increasingly close, which is an important and solid foundation to promote the increasingly close and trusting relationship between the two countries.

Economic cooperation is a bright spot in the relationship between the two countries. Bilateral trade turnover in 2022 reached nearly 50 billion USD, of which Vietnam exported 24.2 billion USD to Japan and imported 23.4 billion USD from Japan. Japan is the 4th largest trading partner, the 3rd largest export partner and the 3rd largest import partner of Vietnam.

Japan is the partner that has signed the most bilateral and multilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with Vietnam such as: ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (AJCEP), Vietnam-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (VJEPA), Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP).

These FTAs have been creating extremely important cooperation frameworks, contributing to promoting trade, investment and business relations between the two countries on the principle of mutual benefit.

The visit of Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko marks a new milestone in the 50-year journey of good cooperation between Vietnam and Japan, contributing to further developing the extensive strategic partnership between the two countries in a profound and comprehensive manner and further enhancing the stature of Vietnam-Japan relations in the new period.

Source