MPI chief’s trip stirs dialogues

MPI Minister Nguyen Chi Dung’s visit addressed many bilateral co-operative fields

During the visit, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) chief travelled to Hokkaido, Aichi, and Tokyo to meet with some of Japan’s top government officials and business executives.

At Dung’s first stop, Hokkaido, he received a warm welcome from the local business community and the province’s top leaders before meeting with Governor Harumi Takahashi. The two officials discussed commitments to deepening ties in potential fields, particularly agriculture, high-tech, seafood, and tourism projects.

They also discussed a proposal to encourage the relevant authorities in each country to study the feasibility of opening direct flights from Sapporo to several destinations within Vietnam.

Dung and Takahashi also discussed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between MPI and Hokkaido, to further strengthen economic co-operation between the two sides. The MoU is expected to be completed and ready for signing during a visit to Vietnam by Hokkaido officials slated for August 2017.

At Dung’s next stop, in Aichi prefecture, he spoke with local leaders about offering favourable conditions to encourage the various industries and businesses based in the region to scale up their investments in Vietnam. Aichi’s Governor Hideaki Omura praised MPI’s efforts in opening the Aichi Desk within MPI. Currently about 140 investment projects across Vietnam have come from Aichi-based businesses.

During his Tokyo stop, Dung met with the heads of Japanese ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economy, Trade and Industry; and Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Dung also met with top executives from many organisations including the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), and Keidanren.

Dung said that both countries need to further strengthen economic co-operation to be commensurate with the comprehensive strategic partnership relations the two countries have committed to. The Vietnamese government greatly values the Japanese government’s effective support through its various official development assistance (ODA) projects, which have not only helped Vietnam improve its infrastructure, but also contributed to boosting the nation’s socio-economic development.

“However, in the future, it is important for us to bolster ODA usage efficiency and accelerate capital disbursement to avoid cost overruns,” Dung said.

In a meeting at the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarters, president of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance and LDP General Secretary Toshihiro Nikai said that Vietnam-Japan relations had entered an unprecedented development phase. He hopes to deepen bilateral trade and investment co-operation between the two nations.

Throughout the visit, Dung not only dedicated a large part of his time to attending business forums in Aichi and Tokyo, but also visited a number of the larger firms that have invested big in Vietnam.

Dung and Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh met with Toyota executives to discuss the growth of the auto industry in recent years, and consider long-term co-operation strategies on how to accelerate growth for supporting industries in Vietnam.

One particular focus was on parts manufacturing, and how to further enable local firms to actively participate in Toyota’s broader global supply chain in the future.

In a working session with the head of Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Dung encouraged Japan to continue supporting Vietnam in executing big transport infrastructure projects through ODA programmes, and also called on Japanese investors to partake in these projects to help Vietnam achieve fast, sustainable growth.

The two ministers also discussed important upcoming projects, including the billion-dollar Long Thanh International Airport, the high-speed railway, the North-South expressway, and the proposed underground trade centre in Ho Chi Minh City.

Speaking with the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dung noted Vietnam also welcomes investment from small- and medium-sized businesses, particularly those in the production of spare parts for automobiles, motorbikes, and industrial and agricultural machinery.

During his visit to Japan, Dung also met with representatives from many Japanese governmental agencies to talk about activities surrounding preparations for Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s official visit to Japan later this year. In the prospective visit’s framework, MPI will be co-operating with JETRO to host the largest-ever investment promotion conference in Japan, which is expected to attract around 1,000 Japanese businesses and 200 Vietnamese firms.