Can Tho(VNA) – Mekong Delta localities have called for investments from Japanese firmsin 63 projects in various fields, including 12 in hi-tech agriculture during aJapan-Mekong Business Cooperation Forum in Can Tho city.

Theevent was jointly held by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)and Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) in Ho Chi Minh City on November3, which gathered 400 delegates representing government agencies and localitiesof the two countries, Japanese trade promotion organisations, economic experts,Vietnamese companies, and 120 CEOs from Japanese firms.

Addressing the forum, former State PresidentTruong Tan Sang affirmed the significance of the event in strengthening theeconomic and trade exchanges between Japan and Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, whileexpressing his wish that Japanese investors will pay more attention to thisregion.

Leaders of Mekong Delta localities should createfavourable conditions for Japanese investors to implement effective and win-wincooperation in the context that the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement forTrans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is going to take effect with 11 membercountries, including Japan and Vietnam, he emphasised.

According to VCCI Chairman, Vu Tien Loc, Japan’sinvestment in the Mekong Delta region remains limited despite the hugecooperation potential between the two sides.

He highlighted young and well-trained labourforce and a development space for businesses as the biggest advantages offeredby the Mekong Delta, stating that cooperation in agriculture, processingindustry, manufacturing, tourism and commercial services are the region’syet-to-be-exploited potential that Japan is expected to be the best partner.

As a leading country in developing adaptiveagriculture to climate change, Japan’s experience will effectively serve theMekong Delta region which is in need of an agricultural sector withclimate-adaptive technologies, he said.

Kawaue Junichi, Consul General of Japan in HCMCity, said together with the development of the Japan-Vietnam relations overrecent years, the ties between Japan and the Mekong Delta have also beenincreasingly expanded across various spheres, such as transport, trade andespecially farm produce.

Currently, cooperation areas between the twosides include the supply of high-quality farm produce for the Japanese market,new markets for Japanese and Mekong Delta travel agencies, and financial, credit,delivery, medical checkup and treatment, education and vocational trainingservices, among others.

As shown in VCCI’s statistics, as of the end of October2018, the Mekong Delta had attracted 169 FDI projects from Japan with acombined registered capital of 2.21 billion USD, accounting for 10.5 percent ofthe whole region’s total FDI inflow. -VNA