Hanoi (VNA) 🧸- Party General Secretary and State President To Lam held online talks with President of the Liberal Democratic Party and Prime Minister of Japan Kishida Fumio on September 3.

Fumio said he believes that the Vietnamese leader will continue to play a crucial role in promoting and deepening the Vietnam-Japan relationship, stressing that Vietnam is an important partner of Japan in the region and the world. For his part, Lam reaffirmed that Japan is a key partner of Vietnam in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation, and development. The two leaders expressed their satisfaction at the strong, rapid, and comprehensive development of bilateral relations, particularly the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership for peace in Asia and the world on the occasion of the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties. They agreed to continue strengthening political trust and mutual understanding through maintaining high-level exchanges in various flexible forms, enhancing the effectiveness of dialogue mechanisms and bilateral cooperation, intensifying economic cooperation as a key pillar of their relationship, and deepening connection between their economies. The two sides agreed to continue substantively strengthening defence and security cooperation, effectively implementing signed agreements, and deepening connection in human resources, people-to-people exchanges, and cooperation between localities. The Japanese leader emphasised that Japan will continue to contribute to Vietnam's development through official development assistance (ODA), and expand cooperation with Vietnam in digital transformation, green transition, and training high-quality human resources. Lam affirmed that Vietnam will continue to significantly improve its investment environment, enhance infrastructure quality, and welcome foreign businesses, including Japanese companies, to invest and operate in Vietnam. He suggested the Japanese government continue to pay attention to, and have policies that encourage and creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community living, studying, and working in Japan. The two leaders also discussed international and regional issues of common concern, including those related to the East Sea, and agreed to strengthen cooperation to reinforce a peaceful, secure, and stable environment in the region./.