Tokyo (VNA)– Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son led a Vietnamese delegationto attend the first G20 Sherpa Meeting hosted by Japan from January 19-20.

This was the third timeVietnam has invited to the G20 summit and related meetings, following its firstattendance in the Republic of Korea and Canada in 2010 as Chair of theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the second in Germany in2017 as Chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

Vietnam’s presence atrecent multilateral forums such as G20 and G7 has reflected the importance theworld has attached to the country’s increasing position and role.

In his remarks, Son emphasised the need to enhance policy coordination toensure the global economic stability and step up sustainable, inclusivedevelopment, while supporting the multilateral trading system based on the law.

Vietnam will continueto constructively join and promote regional and global economic connectivity,partner with other members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement forTrans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to push ahead with the effectiveimplementation of the deal, and closely coordinate with the European Union (EU)for the early signing and ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement(EVFTA), he said.

Son also assertedVietnam’s commitments to the Paris Agreement on climate change and urged the G20to boost collaboration in assisting developing countries to shift towards low-carboneconomies.

He lauded the G20’s proposalof marine plastic waste prevention to the agenda and called on the group toback Vietnam’s initiatives to form a global mechanism in marine plastic wasteprevention raised at the expanded G7 Summit last year.

This was the firstSherpa meeting held in Japan in its capacity as the G20 Chair, which aims to beginpreparations for the G20 Summit slated for June 28-29 in Osaka, Japan.

It reviewedachievements the G20 has recorded and discussed orientations and focuses of theG20 agenda in 2019, especially major issues to be debated at the upcoming G20Summit.

The delegates touchedupon various matters, from economy-global finance, trade and investment tosustainable, inclusive development, global digital economic development in thefourth Industrial Revolution, World Trade Organisation (WTO) reform acceleration,the settlement of global economic imbalances, high-quality infrastructuredevelopment, transfer to clean energy, climate change response and the handlingof issues regarding employment, health care and social affairs.

They agreed to enhanceglobal policy coordination in order to ensure the macro-economic stability,promote trade connectivity, maintain WTO reform pace and join hands in addressingissues posed by the fourth Industrial Revolution.

Apart from Vietnam,Singapore, Thailand, Spain, the Netherlands, Chile, Egypt and Senegal were alsoinvited to attend the meeting as guests.

On the sidelines of theevent, Son held bilateral meetings with head delegates of Japan, the US,France, India, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Argentina in an effortto strengthen relations between Vietnam and the partners, and exchange views onissues of mutual concerns in the G20 agenda.-VNA