ASEAN-Japan relations advance in all three pillars
VGP – The strategic partnership between ASEAN and Japan has advanced ceaselessly, bringing about positive outcomes in all three cooperation pillars of peace and security, trade and investment, and people-to-people exchanges.
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PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (4th from left), Japanese PM Shinzo Abe (5th from left) and other ASEAN leaders to the 21st ASEAN-Japan Summit in Singapore on November 14, 2018. Photo: VGP |
Japan is the 4th biggest trade partner, the 2nd largest investor of ASEAN and the top ODA provider of many ASEAN member countries, PM Phuc highlighted.
He highly valued the Northeast Asian country’s support for healthcare, environment, prevention of natural disasters, climate change adaptation, science and innovation, development gap reduction, and connectivity in ASEAN.
As the country coordinator of the ASEAN-Japan relations, PM Phuc emphasized ASEAN’s strong commitment to further heighten the ASEAN-Japan strategic partnership and comprehensive cooperation for peace, stability, development and prosperity across the region.
Meanwhile, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe affirmed Japan treasures the role of ASEAN, vowing to strengthen comprehensive cooperation with the bloc.
He also reaffirmed Japan’s support for ASEAN centrality and the association’s efforts to bolster the regional cooperation and connectivity.
PM Abe announced a plan to organize the ASEAN-Japan Day in Viet Nam in 2019 in a bid to enhance understanding among their people.
Regarding regional and international situation, PM Abe reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, respecting diplomatic and legal processes, upholding the principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, exercising self-restraint, non-militarization, avoiding unilateral actions that may change the status quo, and striving to build a practical and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea./.
By Huong Giang
