 Tokyo (VNA) – A leading Vietnamese government official has said that more favourable environment will be created for Japanese businesses to increase their investment in the Mekong sub-region.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem made the statement at a seminar in Tokyo on January 17 to call for more Japanese investment in the Mekong sub-region.
Deputy PM Khiem is in Tokyo to attend the Mekong-Japan Ministerial Meeting, which was also participated by Foreign Ministers of four remaining Mekong sub-region countries, namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, and Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura.
During the seminar as part of the meeting, Khiem told around 400 participating Japanese enterprises that the Mekong sub-region has become Asia’s dynamic area, where more prospects of and opportunities for faster development remain.
He answered a number of questions raised by Japanese businesses’ representatives, including those on logistic services and customs procedures and the implementation of the Greater Mekong Sub-region Cross-border Transport Agreement (CBTA), as well as measures taken by the Vietnamese Government to deal with traffic problems.
Transport improvement is one of Viet Nam’s top priorities in its development strategy, Khiem said, adding that the country is set to have a fully worked-out transport infrastructure by 2010.
The deputy PM also said that Viet Nam highly values Japan’s active support in improving the country’s investment environment and the Southeast Asian country is willing to create favourable conditions for Japanese businesses.
On the sidelines of the Mekong-Japan Ministerial Meeting, Deputy PM Khiem met with some Japanese parliament members, including Chairman of the Japan-Viet Nam Friendship Parliamentarians Union Tsutomu Takebe.
He also had meetings with representatives from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO).
During the meetings, the Japanese hosts expressed their willingness to help Viet Nam in carrying out three major projects, namely the North-South express highway and railway and the Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park. They also said they will consider assisting the country in the improvement of traffic systems in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City.-Enditem
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