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| Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong (third, right), Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs Kazuyuki Nakane (third, left) and other officials pose for a photo (Photo: VNA) |
Phong welcomed Nakane’s working visit, describing it as a contribution towards the mutual understanding and trust between the two countries. In the context of the thriving extensive bilateral cooperation, the partnership between HCM City and Japan has also achieved positive outcomes, he said.
Japan is currently a leading partner of HCM City in terms of economy, trade, investment, culture, education, and tourism, Phong said, adding that the city has also implemented many initiatives, mechanisms, and policies to enhance ties with Japan, especially in the field of economy.
The chairman highly evaluated Japan’s assistance in key infrastructure projects, such as the water environment rehabilitation project and metro line no. 1. He asked Nakane to continue supporting the provision of ODA loans and technical assistance for metro line no. 3A and the expansion of metro line no. 1 to Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces, and called for more help in training personnel to operate the urban railway systems.
HCM City will continue to work closely with Japan to fulfil its assigned jobs in the implementation of cooperation projects, the official added.
At the meeting, Nakane said he has visited Vietnam three times since the beginning of 2018, with the hope of helping to foster the fruitful bilateral cooperation, including that with HCM City.
Japan has been coordinating closely with Vietnam in issues relating to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) so as to make full use of these deals to step up ties between the two countries, he said.
Speaking highly of HCM City’s role in the southern region of Vietnam and the ASEAN, he affirmed that Japanese businesses with rich experience and high technology are always ready to cooperate with the city and contribute to its development.
Nakane also thanked HCM City for creating optimal conditions for Japanese investors and asked municipal leaders to further help Japanese firms address obstacles to their projects, including those using Japanese ODA.
More than 1,100 Japanese companies are investing and doing business in HCM City with total capital of approximately 4 billion USD. Japan is the third biggest trade partner and the fifth largest source of foreign tourists of the city.
