Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation left Hanoi on Friday morning for Japan to attend the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation and bilateral activities in the East Asian country.
The four-day trip is being made at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.
Over the past 50 years, relations between ASEAN and Japan have developed comprehensively across politics, security, economy, trade, investment, socio-culture, and development cooperation.
Particularly, economic and investment cooperation between the two sides has been carried out through various mechanisms and frameworks, including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership (AJCEP).
In 2022, Japan was the fourth largest trading partner of ASEAN with two-way trade hitting $268.5 billion. Meanwhile, Japan poured $26.7 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) into the bloc.
Amidst unpredicted developments facing the world and the region, ASEAN and Japan, based on their sound relations and great potential, seek to bolster cooperation and links to respond to common challenges for development.
The commemorative summit is being held after ASEAN and Japan set up their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, giving an opportunity for leaders of both sides to review their cooperation and define orientations to develop ties in the new stage, bringing them on par with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework.
Vietnam is a proactive and responsible member in ASEAN, and in promoting the ASEAN-Japan relations, with its successful performance as the coordinator of ASEAN-Japan relations during the 2018-2021 period.
Vietnam-Japan relations have enjoyed strong and comprehensive development in all areas, with strong political trust and enhanced exchanges of delegations at all levels.
The two nations marked the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2023. During President Vo Van Thuong’s visit to Japan in November, the nations upgraded their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the world. The upgrade puts Japan on par with China, Russia, India, South Korea, and the U.S in relations with Vietnam.