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Great things afoot for Vietnam-Japan cooperation in 2009
The agreement stipulates that in the next 10 years, 92 percent of two-way trade turnover will be exempted from taxes and Japan will eliminate taxes for 95 percent of Vietnamese export products.
Vietnam and Japan signed the bilateral economic partnership agreement (EPA) on December 25 to accelerate trade and services liberalization, investment protection and co-operation in human resources training.
A Tokyo based VOV correspondent interviewed Yasuhisa Kawamura, the Japanese Press Secretary and spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry on the issue.
What’s your evaluation of the prospects for friendship co-operation between Japan and Vietnam in 2008?
Year 2008 marks 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Japan. Recently, the two countries organized a number of activities to mark the event. One of the important landmarks in 2008 is the signing on December 25 of EPA - an important economic document that the two sides have been hammering out for a long time. Japan is one of Vietnam’s leading investors and its second largest trade partner. After signing the agreement, trade co-operation between the two countries will be further expanded.
The agreement stipulates that in the next 10 years, 92 percent of two-way trade turnover will be exempted from taxes. Japan will eliminate taxes for 95 percent of Vietnamese export products and Vietnam will do the same for 88 percent of Japanese products. Currently, Vietnamese exports to Japan total 610 million yen and imports stand at 540 million yen.
Could you elaborate on the progress of negotiations and the prospect of signing this important agreement?
The idea of this agreement was first proposed at a high-level Vietnam-Japan talk on the sidelines of the East Asian Summit in December 2005. The two countries met to work on its content in Hanoi and Tokyo in February and April 2006 respectively. At a meeting between Vietnamese PM Nguyen Tan Dung and Japanese PM Sinzo Abe in October 2006, they decided to open free trade negations. The two sides have conducted nine negotiations and six intermediate meetings since January 2007. By September 2008, the procedures and basic content of the agreement were completed.
During the visit to Japan by Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet last year and the recent Vietnam visit by former Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo, the two parties decided to sign a bilateral economic partnership agreement. The Japan-Vietnam EPA will have a far-reaching effect on the development of bilateral relationship into a strategic partnership.
Do you have any message to the VOV audience on this occasion?
With the new year drawing close, things are afoot for both. I’d like to wish the VOV audience good health and happiness. In the Mekong Delta, Vietnam has large potential for exporting rice and many other farm products. In 2009, I believe Vietnam will build up its strength to become a new Asian dragon.
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