HCM City promotes cooperation with Japanese partners
VOV.VN - Ho Chi Minh City expects the Japanese government and Japanese partners will diversify forms of cooperation with HCM City, to help improve the city’s integration capacity and the effectiveness of cooperation in the southern key economic region and other localities.
Phan Van Mai, chairman of the HCM City administration, made the request during a reception for Shunsuke Takei, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, on February 24.
HCM City attaches great importance to strengthening the good relationship between Vietnam and Japan, Mai told his guest who is in Vietnam for an official visit.
He said HCM City has always cooperated with the Consulate General of Japan in the city in effectively implementing cultural activities, people-to-people exchanges, and economic projects with Japan.
HCM City highly appreciates the Vietnam - Japan Festival 2023 kick-starting a series of activities to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan this year, and it has worked closely with the Japanese side to ensure the success of the festival, he said.
The Vietnam - Japan Festival 2023, the eighth of its kind, is taking place at the city’s September 23 Park from February 23 to 26.
Shunsuke Takei for his part thanked the city for hosting the festival which he expected would capture great attention from local people.
He said the Japan-Vietnam relations are developing well through frequent high-level visit exchanges and mutual support to overcome difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. The two countries have shown their desire to continue taking their relations to new heights.
Japan highly values the potential and location HCM City holds and believes that the city will further improve its investment environment and create more favourable conditions for Japanese firms to do business in the locality, thereby contributing to strengthening cooperation between the two countries, said the diplomat.
He assured his host that Japan is keen to further develop the Japan-Vietnam relations in the future, including the implementation of Japanese funded ODA projects in Vietnam and HCM City in particular.
Japan welcomes and supports the city to expand cooperation with Japanese partners, including Japanese localities that have signed cooperation agreements with the Vietnamese city, he said.
During his stay in HCM City, Shunsuke Takei is scheduled to attend the Vietnam Japan Festival 2023, and inspect the progress of the Metro Line 1 construction project.