So said Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Vu Hong Nam during his interview granted for Vietnam News Agency ahead of the summit.
Stressing that the summit will be the first major international event in Japan’s Reiwa Era which began on May 1st, and also the first G20 Summit Japan has ever hosted with the participation of heads of states and leaders from 20 world leading economies, Ambassador Nam confirmed that Japan invited Vietnam to such an important meeting because bilateral relations are very special, and Vietnam is a trustworthy friend of Japan. Meanwhile, Vietnam’s growing status shows that G20 member economies respect Vietnam.
Ambassador Vu Hong Nam (Photo: VNA)
According to Ambassador Nam, the issues to be put on the table consist of the reforming of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the digital economy and the environment, especially the marine environment. “All 3 issues are closely related to Vietnam’s interests, and the country has also been working hard to tackle the issues,” he said.
During the summit, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will actively participate in digital economy and marine environment forums as Vietnam is a sea country; plastic waste in the sea threatens Vietnam’s marine economy.
“Apart from participating in the summit’s sessions, the Vietnamese Prime Minister is also scheduled to have bilateral meetings with leaders of G20 member economies.
Regarding Vietnam-Japan relations, the ambassador noted that the two countries celebrated 45 years of diplomatic ties in 2018, and shared the view that bilateral relations have never been so good. “The two sides considered each other special partners in a recent meeting of the Vietnam – Japan Cooperation Committee,” he said.
“I think that the relationship is special, even in people-to-people exchange,” he went on to say. “Millions of Japanese have visited Vietnam while hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese have come to Japan. Additionally, 330,000 Vietnamese people are working and studying in Japan, which is also ready to share knowledge and technology with young Vietnamese to help with the country’s development. Only a special relationship can create the current results in political, economic and people-to-people cooperation.”
He asserted that the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will create a solid foundation for the partnership to further develop. “Although the CPTPP came into effect only 6 months ago, it has had a strong impact on bilateral trade,” he said. “In the first half of 2019, trade between the two countries saw a year-on-year increase of nearly 8%, a relatively high rate compared to the pre-CPTPP period.”
He also expressed his belief in greater increase in bilateral trade when Vietnamese firms get used to and make further use of the agreement.
In terms of investment, Japan’s investment in Vietnam reached USD1.52 billion in the first 5 months of this year, raising this country’s total FDI capital in Vietnam to USD57.4 billion, accounting for 16.4% of the total FDI in Vietnam and ranking 2nd among countries and territories investing in Vietnam.
Noting that the CPTPP will bring about enormous benefits to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) while Japan’s industry mainly depends on SMEs, the ambassador said that the number of Japanese SMEs in Vietnam will increase and their investment will also rise.
“In conclusion, I think that the Vietnam – Japan relationship will see rapid and strong development in politics, economics and people-to-people, through exchanges of senior delegations, localities and peoples,” he confirmed./.