Hanoi (VNA) – Kansai, the second biggest economic region in Japan, wants to seek a ✤new path to further cooperation with Vietnam, especially after the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement comes into force.

Chairman of the Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren) Shosuke Mori made the statement at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue in Hanoi on September 12. He said Kansai is home to three major cities: Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe, adding that the region accounts for one quarter of Japan’s trade turnover with Vietnam and over 20 percent of Japanese businesses operating in the country are from Kansai. He said he hopes to make contributions to Vietnam’s sustainable economic development, especially in the field of environment. Kansai gathers a lot of companies that are strong in environmental technology such as waste treatment, air population treatment, and energy saving, he added. He confirmed Kankeiren will spare no efforts to develop relations with Vietnam, noting that the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Vietnam has organised dialogues together with the federation in recent years to link investment and cooperation between the two sides. Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue underlined Vietnam’s policy of rapid and sustainable development across three pillars: economy, society and environment, stressing that the country will not exchange the environment for economic growth. To realise that goal, the Vietnamese Government is pushing ahead with economic restructuring and shifting the growth model towards quality, productivity and efficiency while increasing national competitiveness and putting more focus on innovation and growth quality, he said. Vietnam’s strategy is to ensure harmony between export investment and domestic consumption, he added. The Deputy PM affirmed that Vietnam always prioritises selecting hi-tech foreign businesses that are willing to connect with Vietnamese firms in the global production chain, especially in the support industry. With over 10 valid and signed free trade agreements, including the TPP, Vietnam and its partners will have more opportunities to expand investment and production, he said, adding that Vietnam hopes businesses from Kansai and Japan in general will have more investment opportunities in the Southeast Asian nation in the coming time. He called on Japanese small-and medium-sized enterprises to increase investment in Vietnam in processing industry, farm produce and food processing, while receiving more Vietnamese apprentices to work in Japanese companies. He also encouraged Kansai banks to get engaged in the banking restructuring activities in Vietnam in the time ahead.-VNA