Vietnam provides favourable conditions for Japanese businesses: Deputy PM

Deputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung (R) receives Managing Executive Officer and Global Head of Infrastructure and Environment Finance Group of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) Kazuhisa Yumikura (Photo: VNA)

He met with Chair of the Kyushu Economy International (KEI) Yutaka Aso and members of the Kyushu-Vietnam Economic Exchange Mission in Hanoi on March 15.

The Vietnamese leader expressed his delight to see the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership growing strongly, comprehensively and practically across the board with high political trust.

He referred to the fact that Japan is the leading economic partners, the largest ODA provider, the second FDI investor, and the fourth bilateral trader of Vietnam. In 2017, Japan poured 9.11 billion USD in 2017, a fourfold rise from 2016.

He acknowledged and highly valued the constructive contributions by KEI as well as by Yutaka Aso in accelerating economic and investment cooperation and connecting businesses between the Kyushu region and Vietnam.

He expected that Yutaka Aso will work to encourage more small and medium-sized businesses from Japan to invest in renewable energy, science-technology, infrastructure development, environmental protection, climate change response and green agriculture in Vietnam.

Yutaka Aso said around 40 businesses from the Kyushu region took part in this visit and their representatives had working sessions in Ho Chi Minh City and central Da Nang city and met with leaders from Vietnamese ministries, sectors and businesses.

He noted that many Kyushu businesses want to invest in developing farm products in Vietnam, especially flowers and high-tech farm products.

The Deputy PM suggested the Japanese side to work more closely with the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and other ministries, sectors and localities and come up with solutions to launching cooperation in the field.

On the day, Deputy PM Dung hosted Managing Executive Officer and Global Head of Infrastructure and Environment Finance Group of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) Kazuhisa Yumikura.

Host and guest discussed issues relating to stepping up loan arrangement and extricating difficulties arising during the implementation of Japanese-invested BOT power projects.

The Vietnamese leader spoke highly of JBIC’s provision of loans and funding for important infrastructure projects, especially large-scale energy projects with the involvement of Japanese investors, in Vietnam.

He talked about some BOT power projects like Nghi Son 2, Van Phong 1 and Vung Ang 2 with Japanese investments, underlining that these projects are important to Vietnam’s power development planning as well as the country’s socio-economic growth.

Vietnam encourages the development of high-efficiency power plants to meet funding sponsorship conditions and new regulations of OECD, he told the guest.

Kazuhisa Yumikura said JBIC has actively supported Japanese businesses to come to invest in Vietnam, especially in infrastructure and energy, to bring huge benefits for both sides.

JBIC wishes to continue providing funding in the fields, he said.