Vietnam is maintaining an outstanding pace of growth in the context of drastic changes in the global political and economic situation, Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Vietnam Konaka Tetsuo said at a mid-term press conference in Hanoi on October 17.

Vietnam’s macro economic growth has been relatively stable since the beginning of
this year, according to Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation
Agency (JICA) in Vietnam Konaka Tetsuo. (Illustrative image. Source: VNA)

He went on to say that Vietnam’s macro economic growth has been relatively stable since the beginning of this year.

The enforcement of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in early 2019 and the signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) in June 2019 have created a boost for Vietnam’s integration into the global economy, he said.

Furthermore, the relations between Vietnam and Japan continued to thrive over the past time thanks to visits and working sessions between the two countries’ senior officials as well as cooperation programmes and projects between localities, non-governmental organisations, and universities, he added.

According to the JICA official, JICA has been adopting new forms of assistance to Vietnam to suit the new situation in the country.

While evaluating the official development assistance (ODA) projects between Japan and the Vietnamese Government, Konaka said many new ODA projects on technical collaboration and non-refundable aid packages carried out by JICA have been signed and implemented smoothly.

He also mentioned the delay in some projects which were signed in 2018, and the slow disbursement of capital in underway projects, adding that the Vietnamese Government has been working to address those problems by improving relevant legal institutions and creating more favourable conditions for investors businesses to carry out projects.

He called on Vietnam to promote its pioneering role in such global issues as climate change, universal health coverage, and sustainable development goals.

JICA will continue implementing cooperation projects to address issues not only in Vietnam but also at regional and international scale, in line with the Japanese Government’s free and open Indo-Pacific strategy and the high-quality infrastructure policy, he added.