President Nguyen Xuan Phuc received Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio who is in Vietnam for an official visit. (Photo: VNA)

The two leaders highlighted the strong, comprehensive, and practical development of the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership and bilateral cooperation in fighting COVID-19. Japan has always been Vietnam’s top partner in trade, investment, ODA, tourism, and labor.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc reiterated that Vietnam and Japan share several common strategic interests and that Japan is Vietnam’s reliable, important, and time-honored strategic partner and among top priorities of Vietnam’s foreign policy. He urged the two countries to strengthen mutual political trust, maintain exchanges, and work closely for the 50^th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties in 2023.

He suggested the two countries boost bilateral cooperation in national defense, security and economics, strengthen supply chains, expand cooperation in investment and trade, digital transformation, and continue new-generation ODA cooperation. Mr. Phuc said bilateral cooperation in health care, natural disaster prevention and control, climate change response, and transformation toward green energy should also be enhanced to bring practical benefits for the two peoples.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio expressed his wish to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Vietnam to bring the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership to a new height toward the 50^th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.

The two leaders agreed to work closely at regional and global forums and discussed issues of mutual concern including the East Sea issue, the situation in Ukraine, and response to non-traditional security issues and regional links.