National Assembly Chairman receives Chairman of Japan - Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance

On the afternoon of May 5, at the National Assembly House, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue received Mr. Nikai Toshihiro, former Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan and Chairman of the Japan - Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance.

Photo caption — National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and Mr. Nikai Toshihiro, Chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance. Photo: Doan Tan/VNA

Warmly welcoming Mr. Nikai Toshihiro to visit Vietnam on the occasion of the two countries celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said that the Vietnamese National Assembly is carrying out many activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Vietnam - Japan diplomatic relations. The National Assembly Chairman affirmed that the Vietnamese National Assembly and the National Assembly Chairman himself highly appreciated the role of the Japan - Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Union in promoting parliamentary diplomacy, people-to-people exchanges as well as relations between the two countries. The National Assembly Chairman expressed his joy that the relationship between the two countries is developing very well, especially trust in politics, diplomacy, economy, trade and investment, and maintaining high-level delegation exchanges. Japan continues to hold the position of Vietnam's number 1 economic partner, number 1 partner in ODA, number 2 partner in labor, number 3 partner in investment and tourism, and number 4 partner in trade. “The Vietnamese National Assembly highly appreciates the Japanese Government’s implementation of the New Generation ODA Program with Vietnam. This contributes to helping Vietnam recover in the post-COVID-19 period,” said the National Assembly Chairman.

Chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Union Nikai Toshihiro expressed his pleasure at meeting National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue again; sincerely thanked National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue for his efforts in promoting relations between the two countries. Recalling the recent visit of the LDP Youth Committee, mainly composed of young parliamentarians, to Vietnam, Mr. Nikai Toshihiro said that it is necessary to continue to strengthen cooperation between parliamentarians of the two countries, especially young parliamentarians. People-to-people exchange activities between the two countries have become increasingly vibrant and diverse in recent times. He said that the COVID-19 epidemic has been effectively controlled and epidemic prevention and control measures have been relaxed. Therefore, the two countries need to promote people-to-people exchange activities again. Currently, in Japan, about 500,000 Vietnamese people live, study and work. Mr. Nikai Toshihiro said that the two sides have cooperated very closely to resolve issues related to Vietnamese trainees in Japan. This is also the content that the two sides need to continue to cooperate more closely in the coming time. The two sides can build a cooperation framework to create more favorable conditions for Vietnamese agricultural trainees in Japan. At the meeting, members of the Japanese delegation exchanged information and expressed their desire to promote cooperation in the fields of parliamentary cooperation, exchanges of young parliamentarians; agricultural cooperation, cooperatives, cultural exchange, people-to-people exchange, economy, trade, investment, etc. Japan will increase the export of products with strengths and vice versa will import some agricultural products from Vietnam for the common benefit of consumers of the two countries.

Thanking the delegation members for their opinions, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said that Vietnam has learned many valuable experiences from Japan in the agricultural sector, including the “One Commune One Product (OCOP)” program from Japan’s “One Village One Product” program. Currently, Vietnam has about 10,000 OCOP products rated 3 stars or higher and have become familiar products in high-end supermarkets. The National Assembly Chairman agreed with and supported the proposals on strengthening cooperation in the agricultural sector to ensure the supply chain and ensure food security in each country. Agricultural products of the two countries do not compete directly but are complementary to each other. The two sides can promote cooperation to bring agricultural products of one country to the market in the other country.

At the meeting, agreeing with the opinions of the delegation members, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said that parliamentary cooperation plays a very important role in regional and international cooperation, contributing to maintaining peace in the region and the world. The National Assembly Chairman suggested that the two sides continue to exchange experiences on issues related to cooperatives, including the organization of cooperative federations. The Vietnamese National Assembly is considering amending the Law on Cooperatives, including piloting the cooperative federation model, especially in the agricultural sector. Emphasizing that the number of Vietnamese people living, studying and working in Japan and the number of Japanese people living, studying and working in Vietnam is very large, the National Assembly Chairman expressed the view that the two sides need to continue to cooperate to create more favorable conditions for the community of people from one country in the other, especially in facilitating visas. The National Assembly Chairman expressed support for the proposals to promote cooperation in the fields of trainees; continue to promote cooperation in the fields of high-tech industry and retail; promote exchanges between friendship parliamentary groups of the two countries, especially the Women Parliamentarians and Young Parliamentarians Group. On this occasion, the National Assembly Chairman respectfully invited the President of the Senate and the President of the House of Representatives of Japan to pay an official visit to Vietnam; hoped that the Senate and House of Representatives of Japan would support and send a delegation of young parliamentarians to Vietnam to attend the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, which will be jointly organized by the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in September. The National Assembly Chairman affirmed that the Vietnamese National Assembly is ready to coordinate well in organizing activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations commensurate with the extensive strategic partnership between the two countries. The National Assembly Chairman hopes that in the coming time, the two countries will have more cooperation projects that symbolize the relationship between the two countries in the new period, like the achievements that the two sides have achieved.

Hoang Thi Hoa (Vietnam News Agency)