At a time when bilateral relations are developing well with many potentials and opportunities for cooperation, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit to Japan opens a new vision for the development of a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia between Vietnam and Japan.

The welcoming ceremony for General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the Vietnamese delegation. Photo: VGP/Xuan Tuyen

At the invitation of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and a high-level Vietnamese delegation paid an official visit to Japan from September 15-18.

At the conclusion of the visit, Mr. Hoang Binh Quan, Member of the Central Committee of the Party and Head of the Central Committee's Foreign Affairs Department, gave an interview to the press, assessing the significance and results of the visit.

Sir, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's official visit to Japan is a significant milestone in Vietnam-Japan relations. Over the course of four days, the General Secretary had an extremely busy visit with a packed schedule of activities in Japan. Could you please share your assessment of the significance and main results of the visit?
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Mr. Hoang Binh Quan: This is the first official visit to Japan by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in his capacity as General Secretary of our Party, a very important event that both sides have been looking forward to for quite a few years. This is the visit of the head of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the highest-ranking leader of Vietnam to Japan.
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At a time when bilateral relations are developing well with many potentials and opportunities for cooperation, the visit opens a new vision for the development of a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia between Vietnam and Japan. The two leaders issued a Joint Vision Statement on Vietnam-Japan relations, representing a new, positive, and solid step in the development of Vietnam-Japan relations.
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It should also be added that Japan attached great importance to the visit, making thorough and substantive preparations, and welcoming General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong with the highest honors. For example, the Minister of Foreign Affairs paid a courtesy visit to the General Secretary, and the entire Japanese Cabinet, including the Deputy Prime Minister, attended the official welcoming ceremony.
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The talks, meetings, and interactions took place in a very sincere, trusting, and substantive atmosphere. In addition to the official reception at the Prime Minister's residence, there was also a reception hosted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives at his private residence. These exceptions partly reflect Japan's high level of trust, respect, and importance placed on Vietnam.
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The visit was a great success and achieved many important results, contributing to the comprehensive promotion and deepening of relations between the two countries. During the four days, the General Secretary had a packed and rich schedule with 26 activities, including official meetings with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, an audience with the Emperor and other Japanese leaders, meetings with representatives of various social strata and major political parties in Japan, contact with the business community and leaders of many large corporations, and a visit to Kanagawa Prefecture.
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Some of the key results of the visit can be highlighted:
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Firstly, the visit significantly contributed to deepening political trust between the two countries. Both sides recognized each other's importance, affirmed the value of bilateral relations, and pledged to work together to comprehensively and profoundly promote the extensive strategic partnership between the two countries. Both sides agreed to continue maintaining regular high-level visits and contacts; expanding and deepening existing cooperation and dialogue mechanisms. Japan affirmed its commitment to developing relations with Vietnam as an important partner in the region. Vietnam affirmed its consistent policy of considering Japan as a leading and long-term important partner of Vietnam.
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Secondly, during the visit, the two sides had extensive discussions and agreed to strengthen cooperation and promote connectivity between the two economies, considering it an important foundation of the relationship between the two countries, with three main focuses: connecting development strategies, connecting production capacity, and connecting human resources.

Japan committed 100 billion yen in ODA to three key projects and promised to actively consider providing 300 billion yen in ODA in 2015. The two sides signed a "Medium and Long-Term Vision for Agricultural Cooperation," a promising area for both countries. Japan also announced the opening of its market to Vietnamese mangoes. These are very tangible results of cooperation.
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Thirdly, the two countries also agreed to expand cooperation in other areas, including culture, people-to-people exchanges, education, training, science, and technology. They also agreed to strengthen cooperation and promote defense exchanges, and support Vietnam's participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations. Prime Minister Abe affirmed his readiness to cooperate with Vietnam to enhance maritime law enforcement capabilities. Both sides affirmed their commitment to continue close coordination in international and regional forums on issues of mutual interest.
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Vietnam acknowledges and highly appreciates Japan's commitment to learning from historical lessons and consistently pursuing a path of peaceful development; and supports Japan in achieving its rightful place and making positive contributions to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
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The vision and major orientations, as well as the specific cooperation contents achieved through the visit, as reflected in the Joint Statement and the 10 signed documents, will create momentum for the comprehensive development and strong promotion of the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership in a direction that is increasingly substantive, effective, and profound.

Sir, one of the key outcomes of the visit was the agreement between the two sides to promote connectivity and economic cooperation. Could you please assess the prospects for this very important area of ​​cooperation?
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Mr. Hoang Binh Quan: This is indeed a very important result achieved during this visit. Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation and promote the long-term, sustainable connection between the two economies; clarifying the meaning of economic connectivity, which is a higher level than ordinary economic cooperation, whereby the two countries will:
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Firstly, it's crucial to leverage complementary and mutually supportive factors, especially in terms of labor force, resources, capital, science, and technology. Japan is a developed industrial nation with advantages in capital, technology, and management experience, while Vietnam is on the path to industrialization and modernization with abundant resources, a large workforce, and a market full of potential. The two countries can maximize areas where they have comparative advantages and complement each other, such as supporting industries and agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. This is essentially connecting production capacity and human resources between the two countries.
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Secondly, establishing and increasing the intertwining of economic interests between the two countries is crucial. Japan has always been a partner with Vietnam in its Doi Moi (Renovation) process. Prime Minister Abe affirmed Japan's active cooperation with Vietnam in utilizing the $110 billion credit fund of the High-Quality Infrastructure Partnership Initiative. Both countries are currently negotiating high-level free trade agreements in the region. The increasing scale and level of cooperation, along with shared integration commitments within regional cooperation mechanisms, demonstrate the growing intertwining of economic interests between the two countries.
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Thirdly, ensuring economic cooperation between the two countries is stable and long-term. The two countries cooperate and support each other in planning sustainable economic development strategies that complement each other's potential and advantages in key areas. This is precisely the strategic connection of economic development.
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In fact, these factors have already been somewhat evident in Vietnam-Japan relations. It is worth noting that, through this visit, both sides have achieved a high level of political determination to accelerate existing factors, supplement potential factors, and create conditions to promote the rapid connection between the two economies. This is an important step in Vietnam-Japan economic cooperation.

During the visit, the General Secretary delivered a very important speech on the vision for developing bilateral relations at a meeting with representatives of various sectors of Japanese society. The General Secretary outlined the future direction of bilateral relations as “strengthening trust, economic connectivity, expanding cooperation, sustainable development, and looking towards the future.” Could you please share some highlights of this important exchange?

Mr. Hoang Binh Quan: This is a very important speech by the General Secretary at the meeting with nearly 500 representatives from various sectors of Japanese society, including former Prime Ministers, many parliamentarians, leaders of political parties, and many high-ranking officials and corporate leaders. The speech reflects a vision for the relationship, addressing many profound issues in the bilateral relationship and the international and regional situation.
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The statement affirms that the Vietnam-Japan relationship has its roots in a "very long history" and has gone through ups and downs. However, the two nations have overcome the obstacles of the past, moving forward with a spirit of harmony, tolerance, and a forward-looking perspective, thus highlighting the profound significance of the current achievements in the relationship. It portrays this historical relationship as a foundation for the bilateral relationship.
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A thorough assessment of the bilateral relationship over the past period, especially the last 20 years, reveals significant, comprehensive, and profound progress, ushering in the best period in the history of bilateral relations; reaching the framework of a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia." Political trust has been increasingly strengthened. Economic cooperation has become a prominent highlight. Cultural exchanges and people-to-people interactions have been strongly and richly promoted. Cooperation in other fields has continuously expanded. The people of both countries have always held each other in warm and sincere affection.
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Recognizing the rapidly changing and complex global and regional situation, in today's world, the interests of nations are increasingly intertwined, and emerging challenges are shared by all countries. Each nation needs to demonstrate a higher sense of responsibility towards regional and international issues; it needs to strengthen equal and mutually beneficial cooperation, in accordance with international law and the common interests of the international community.
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The document outlines the vision for the future development of Vietnam-Japan relations, emphasizing that with strong emotional ties, cultural similarities, and shared interests, the relationship between the two countries will undoubtedly continue to write bright new chapters, fulfilling the aspirations of the leaders and people of both nations. It clearly states the policy of comprehensively promoting and deepening the extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia.
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General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong quoted the famous Japanese thinker Yoshida Shoin's saying, "Sincere cooperation will surely yield good results," and expressed his hope that the Vietnam-Japan relationship would become a relationship of "like-mindedness," "trust," and "empathy."
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General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's important speech received great attention and high praise from the audience. After listening to the General Secretary's speech, many prominent Japanese figures expressed their feelings, saying that it was a very profound and strategically insightful speech.

In an article about the General Secretary's visit to Japan published in the Japan Times, you emphasized that "the visits of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam to leading world powers this year also show that Vietnam is actively and consistently implementing its independent, self-reliant, diversified, and multilateral foreign policy, and deepening its foreign relations with major partners." Could you elaborate on this statement?

Mr. Hoang Binh Quan: The consistent foreign policy of our Party and State during the Doi Moi (Renovation) period is independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development, diversification and multilateralization of relations. In recent years, we have further emphasized the need to deepen these relationships. The General Secretary's visits to China, the United States, and Japan this year consistently demonstrate this foreign policy.
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Independence and self-reliance are key because we promote relations with other countries on the basis of national and ethnic interests; on the principles of equality and mutual benefit; non-interference in each other's internal affairs; in accordance with the United Nations Charter and international law; and beneficial to peace, stability, cooperation, and prosperity in the region and the world.
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This also aims to diversify and multilateralize relations with our important partners, as well as diversify and multilateralize areas of cooperation with these partner countries.

These important visits are a vivid manifestation of the implementation of the foreign policy of deepening relations with other countries. Through these visits, our relations with the three leading world powers have been strengthened and consolidated.
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With China, we have gradually restored all areas of cooperation and oriented bilateral relations to develop along a healthy and positive trajectory. With the United States, the General Secretary's historic visit is a significant milestone, opening a new chapter and creating a political foundation for the continued development of bilateral relations to a new level. With Japan, this visit opens a new vision, comprehensively promoting and deepening the extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia.

It can be affirmed that the General Secretary's highly successful visits this year have deepened the country's important foreign relations, significantly enhancing the international standing of our Party and our country, and making an important contribution to creating a favorable international environment for the cause of national construction and defense.

According to Chinhphu.vn