Prime Minister Abe: Japan will provide Vietnam with new patrol ships

During his official visit to Vietnam, on the evening of January 16, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a press conference to answer questions related to relations between Japan and Vietnam.

(Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)

​At the beginning of the press conference, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe thanked the Vietnamese government and people for their warm welcome, which has not changed since his first visit to Vietnam four years ago. This year, Vietnam will be the chair of the APEC summit, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he is looking forward to the opportunity to visit Vietnam again this fall.

Prime Minister Abe used the image of the Red River to talk about the Japan-Vietnam relationship. "The majestic Red River flows through Hanoi, flows to the East Sea, then to the East China Sea and connects to Tokyo Bay. Nothing can stop the free flow of traffic on this river. Japan and Vietnam are two neighboring countries connected by the free sea." Prime Minister Abe emphasized.

The Japanese Prime Minister affirmed that the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia, the countries on this trip, are all important neighbors that share the vast open sea called the Pacific Ocean and share fundamental values ​​with Japan. The principles of security, safety and freedom of navigation are extremely important. To implement those principles, the rule of law must be fully implemented.

Talking about economic relations with Vietnam, Prime Minister Abe said that during his visit to other countries, there were Japanese companies that came to invest and create roots for industries such as construction, engineering, freight transport, and trade. A total of 76 companies with their leaders accompanied the Prime Minister's delegation.

Prime Minister Abe emphasized that the vibrant dynamism of the Asia-Pacific region will continue to fuel Japan's growth, and Japan wants to share common prosperity with Asian countries, resonating with each other.

The Japanese Prime Minister stressed that his country supports the establishment of a free market based on rules, fairness and equality, and believes that the foundation of free trade is the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).

With that in mind, Prime Minister Abe said that the rapid promotion of the TPP agreement to come into effect has been confirmed through this visit to Vietnam. The achievements of the TPP agreement are the pillars towards agreements of a larger scale, higher quality, and more ambition such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

According to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, despite its dynamic development, Asia is facing an aging society. Japan wants to contribute its techniques, technology, know-how, and experience in the field of high-level medicine to help countries in the Asian region deal with that future. Therefore, exchanging with the young generation that will shoulder the future of this region will become a huge driving force for contribution.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on countries in the region to join forces to develop the future together. Japan will continue to play a role in contributing to the peace and prosperity of the region from now on.

Responding to reporters' questions about cooperation in maritime safety and freedom, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that based on the working session with the Vietnamese Government and the wishes of the Vietnamese side, Japan has decided to provide Vietnam with new patrol ships. At the same time, Japan will continue to support the enhancement of the capacity of the Vietnamese Coast Guard; concretize the cooperation activities of the two countries' maritime law enforcement agencies...

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that since ancient times, people of Asian countries have enjoyed a rich life through free movement at sea. Today, peace and prosperity in the region are still closely related to the issue of protecting development and sustaining open freedom. Vietnam, Japan, and other countries share the spirit of respecting the law, ensuring freedom of navigation, and resolving disputes by peaceful means. These are fundamental principles and Japan wants them to become firm and unchangeable. With such firm principles, there will be peace and prosperity in the region.

On this occasion, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe answered a number of questions of interest to the press./.

According to Vietnamplus