Tokyo (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai’s attendance and address at th🍒e 29th International Conference on the Future of Asia (FOA) in Tokyo will again underscore Vietnam's image as a🍸 reliable partner and an active, responsible member of ASEAN, the region and the world, said Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu.

In an interview recently granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Hieu underlined the significance of the Deputy PM’s visit to Japan from May 22-25. The FOA, organised by Japan’s Nikkei Group since 1995, is a vital and reputable annual dialogue platform that addresses common regional and global issues. It attracts high-ranking leaders, scholars, representatives of the media and major corporations across Asia.

The Vietnamese delegation’s presence at the event will reaffirm the Government’s commitment to maintaining a pro-business environment, ensuring that Vietnam remains a safe destination for corporations amid global uncertainties, aligning with the conference's theme this year, he said.

According to him, the working trip coincides with a period of the growing Vietnam-Japan ties, especially after their celebrations of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2023 and upgrade of their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World. It is also the first trip by a Vietnamese Government leader to Japan under the new relationship framework, demonstrating Vietnam's support for Japan's initiatives.

Vietnam has attended the FOA since its 15th edition in 2009, consistently sending high-level delegations. This engagement allows Vietnam to stay abreast of new development trends, seek solutions to common challenges, and build a solid foundation for the future.

Reflecting on the over 50 years of the Vietnam-Japan ties, the diplomat highlighted the strong bilateral cooperation in various fields, including economy, trade, investment, national defence-security, culture-education, agriculture, health care, labour, people-to-people and locality-to-locality exchanges. He noted that there is ample room to enhance bilateral collaboration based on mutual trust and complementary strengths.

To further strengthen ties, Hieu suggested fostering reliable political relations through high-level visits and meetings. He also called for leveraging the complementary strengths of the two economies, enhancing economic linkages, and maintaining Japan as Vietnam's leading partner in official development assistance (ODA), investment, and trade.

He expressed hope that Japan would continue providing Vietnam with new-generation ODA in strategic and transportation infrastructure, digital transformation, climate change response, and health care, facilitating the Vietnamese firms' integration into Japan's supply chain.

Joint efforts in potential ไfields such as digital transformation, digital economy, digital society and green transition should aಞlso be a focus, he added./.