Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung attends the 6th Mekong-Japan Summit. Photo: chinhphu.vn

PANO – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung is attending the 7th Mekong-Japan Summit in Tokyo, Japan from July 2nd - 4th at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

At the 12th ASEAN Summit held in the Philippines in January 2007, Japan proposed the Mekong-Japan partnership program with focus in 3 main areas, which are the sub-regional economic integration (infrastructure investment, regional connection promotion, etc.), expansion of trade between Japan and the Mekong sub-region, and the pursuit of universal values and the shared goals of the sub-region (poverty reduction and hunger eradication, Millennium Development Goals, disease control, environment protection, etc.).

So far, Japan and countries in the Mekong sub-region namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam have held 7 foreign ministerial meetings and 6 summits. The meetings and summits have reached and implemented important agreements such as the aid of USD 20 million that Japan has donated to infrastructure development in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Japan also committed to supporting ¥ 5 billion of ODA to the Mekong sub-region in the period of 2009-2012. ODA flow has also been increased to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. In the period of 2013-2015, Japan agreed to spend ¥ 6 billion of ODA to aid countries in the Mekong sub-region to implement the long-term action plan of this period.

Via summits, Japan and countries in the sub-region have cooperated in specific areas related to infrastructure, environment, exchange, etc. As for infrastructure, at the Mekong-Japan Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) in Indonesia in June 2011, Japan shared the document “Japan’s Vision for Supporting ASEAN”, stressing the development of the East-West Economic Corridor, the South Economic Corridor, the ASEAN Maritime Economic Corridor. The document clearly shows Japan’s concerns over the 9 projects forming the East-West Economic Corridor and the South Economic Corridor, among which 3 are related to Vietnam. They are the Phnom Penh - Snuol - Loc Ninh - Ho Chi Minh City Railway project, the Hanoi - Noi Bai Airport Railway project, and the upgrading of bridges along national roads.

At the Economic Ministers’ Meeting held in August 2011 in Indonesia, countries emphasized the achievements of the “Mekong-Japan Economic and Industrial Cooperation Initiative.” The initiative focuses on the construction of Cai Mep-Thi Vai Port, Neak Loeung Bridge and the third Mekong Bridge. The countries also agreed to implement the initiative “Asian Highway and Cargo Road Network” to boost trade and logistics in the Mekong sub-region.

It can be seen that the 7th Mekong-Japan Summit is taking place in the context that the cooperation between the two sides have experienced important results, especially in the implementation of the Tokyo Strategy 2012. In Vietnam, many projects have been kicked off such as Lach Huyen International Port project in Hai Phong City, the Mekong-Japanese Vocational Training Center in the Vietnam Maritime University, etc.

The strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan over the past has also been vigorously improved with political confidence enhanced. Japan is keeping its place as the leading economic partner, the top ODA donor, and the second investor in Vietnam. Especially, cooperation in agriculture has seen breakthroughs while bilateral cooperation in international and regional form has been closer.

We strongly believe that the business trip of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to Japan, attending the 7th Mekong-Japan Summit, will contribute greatly to the development of the Mekong-Japan cooperation in the coming time, confirm the role of Vietnam in the cooperation, strengthen friendship cooperation with countries in the sub-region, improve the political confidence among countries, and lift the strategic partnership with Japan to a new height.

Translated by Huu Duong