PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and Hitoshi Kato, President of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association in Sakai. (Photo: VGP

At a meeting with President of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association in the Kansai region Teichi Nishimura, PM Phuc applauded the association’s contributions to the friendship between the two countries, and between businesses of Vietnam and the region.

The leader expressed his hope that the association will step up cultural exchange and cooperation activities, as well as economic and trade links between the two countries, with attention paid to products of Kansai’s strength.

He called on the association to create conditions for and encourage Kansai businesses to invest in Vietnam, while assisting Vietnamese investors in the Japanese region.

PM Phuc suggested the association pay more heed to preserving and upholding the friendship between Vietnam and Japan, especially among young people.

Apart from economic cooperation, the association’s activities aiming to promote people-to-people exchanges have also brought about practical outcomes, he stressed.

Nishimura said PM Phuc’s attendance at the G20 Summit as a guest and his visit to Japan have affirmed Vietnam’s increasing role and position in the international arena, as well as the fruitful development of the friendship and extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia between the two countries.

Informing the Vietnamese leader about the association’s activities over the past time, he said the association will increase activities aiming to accelerate the implementation of Japan’s investment projects in Vietnam with more diverse and effective models.

Meeting with Hitoshi Kato, President of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association in Sakai, PM Phuc stressed that the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership is developing strongly with high political trust, creating favourable conditions for people-to-people exchanges as well as bilateral economic and trade links.

He applauded sentiments and contributions of the association to intensifying exchanges between citizens of the two countries, and the bilateral collaboration in national defence, economy and culture.

The leader suggested the association encourage its members to cooperate with and invest in Vietnam, promote cooperation in human resources development, receive more Vietnamese students and continue to support the Vietnamese community in Sakai.

For his part, Kato said the association is engaging in some projects in Vietnam, including those on supporting tuna farming, mitigating environmental pollution risks, planting cherry blossom and establishing a Koi fish breeding centre in the central province of Binh Dinh.

The association will work harder to contribute to beefing up the friendship and cooperation between businesses and people of Vietnam and Japan in general and Sakai in particular, he promised.