Vietnam PM arrives in Japan, beginning G7 trip

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and a high-ranking delegation from Vietnam arrived at Hiroshima Airport on Friday afternoon, beginning a three-day trip to attend the expanded Summit of the Group of Seven (G7) and pay a working visit to Japan at the invitation of his Japanese counterpart Kishida Fumio.

Welcoming PM Chinh and the Vietnamese delegation at the airport were Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Yamada Kenji, Governor of Hiroshima prefecture Hidehiko Yuzaki, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu, among others.

According to the working agenda of the expanded G7 Summit, the Vietnamese leader will attend three discussion sessions on the topics of handling multiple crises, joint efforts for a sustainable planet, and working towards a peaceful, stable and prosperous world.

He is scheduled to participate in activities related to the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) initiative, and have bilateral meetings with leaders of countries and international organisations.

At the discussion sessions, and multilateral and bilateral activities, the PM is expected to contribute to the international community in association with Vietnam's interests on many issues, especially those related to security-development, sustainable development, health cooperation, climate change response, the environment and energy.

Through those activities, PM Chinh will convey the message of Vietnam's dynamic development, innovation, extensive and effective international integration, and proactive and responsible contributions to the common affairs of the international community, while protecting and promoting the legitimate interests of the country.

PM Chinh will hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Kishida Fumio to discuss bilateral cooperation, as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern.

He is set to attend and deliver a speech at a seminar with leaders of large Japanese enterprises; meet representatives of economic organisations, corporations and big enterprises of Japan; and meet with representatives of the Vietnamese community and intellectuals in Japan.

The invitation for Vietnam to attend the expanded G7 Summit by Japan, which is holding the rotating Presidency of the G7, demonstrates the importance that the G7 and Japan attach to the country’s increasing role in the region.

Vietnam is among the eight countries that have been invited by Japan to the event. Notably, the country is one of the two Southeast Asian guest nations, apart from Indonesia, which holds the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2023.

This is the third time Vietnamese leaders have attended the summit, following their attendance in 2016 in Japan and in 2018 in Canada, and the second time Vietnam has been invited as a single nation, not in its capacity as a representative of an organisation or a group of countries in the region.

As Vietnam and Japan are celebrating the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2023, PM Chinh's trip to Japan is expected to further strengthen mutual trust and drive bilateral relations forward, particularly cooperation in focal areas such as economy, trade, new-generation ODA, high-quality infrastructure, green transformation and energy transition, as well as promote coordination in regional and international issues of shared concern.

At the PM meeting with the Vietnamese community, Ambassador Hieu said the presence of 476,000 Vietnamese in Japan makes it the second-largest foreign community in Japan and the second-largest Vietnamese community in the world.

Among them, there are approximately 250,000 workers, trainees, and interns, about 50,000 international students, 60,000 engineers, and about 40,000 residents in Japan. Vietnamese people, mostly young, currently live, work, and study in all 47 prefectures and cities of Japan.

PM Chinh said he is glad to witness the growth and strength of the Vietnamese community in Japan, touched by their love, dedication, responsibility, and desire to contribute to their homeland and country, showing the cultural identity of the Vietnamese people.