Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Wednesday concluded his three-day trip to Japan where he attended the 10th Mekong-Japan Summit.

Over the course of his trip, PM Phuc had a busy working agenda packed with a range of bilateral and multilateral activities.

He attended the Mekong-Japan Summit and Mekong-Japan Investment Forum, and, together with other Mekong leaders, met Japanese Emperor Akihito and had working sessions with representatives from the Mekong-Japan Parliamentary Friendship League and the Japan Business Federation (KEIDANREN).

He met with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, with whom he held a joint press conference and witnessed the signing of cooperative agreements, before meeting with Japan’s Speaker of the House of Representatives Tadamori Oshima and Speaker of the House of Councilors Chuichi Date.

He also attended the Vietnam Investment Promotion Conference and had talks with major Japanese corporations operating in real estate, infrastructure, finance, banking and information technology.

Speaking at the Mekong-Japan summit, the Vietnamese leader highlighted priorities for future cooperation, including stepping up transport, soft infrastructure and human connectivity through education and vocational training.

He proposed building a Mekong-Japan innovation network, an idea well-received by participating countries.

Regarding regional and international issues, PM Phuc stressed the need to ensure peace, stability, security, and freedom and safety of aviation and navigation in the East Vietnam Sea, calling for all parties involved to abide by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Vietnam Sea, and work towards the formation of a Code of Conduct in the East Vietnam Sea.

Concluding the summit, he and other leaders decided to upgrade the Mekong-Japan cooperation to a strategic partnership level and approved the Tokyo Strategy 2018.

Addressing the Mekong-Japan Investment Forum, which was attended by representatives from more than 600 businesses, PM Phuc affirmed that Vietnam’s growth prospects are opening up cooperation opportunities for Mekong and Japanese enterprises.

During the Vietnamese premier’s talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, both sides agreed to maintain close cooperation to foster their extensive strategic partnership.

They then witnessed the exchange of nine cooperative documents between Vietnamese and Japanese ministries and offices.

At the Vietnam-Japan Investment Businesses Conference, attended by representatives from more than 1,200 Vietnamese and Japanese enterprises, the premier affirmed Vietnam will continue improving its business and investment environment, and encourages Japanese investment in state-owned enterprises, high-quality infrastructure and start-up projects.

Witnessed by the two government leaders, both sides signed 19 cooperative agreements in various fields, with total committed capital of nearly US$10 billion.

PM Phuc’s presence at the 10th Mekong-Japan Summit and his Japan visit show Vietnam is a reliable partner and is willing to work with Japan and other Mekong countries to build long-term cooperation plans between Greater Mekong Subregion countries and lifting the Vietnam-Japan strategic partnership to a new height.

After concluding his Japan trip, the Vietnamese PM and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam have headed for Indonesia on Thursday morning for the ASEAN Leaders’ Gathering on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – World Bank (WB) annual meetings in Bali.

PM Phuc will also have a working visit to the country from October 11 to 12.