VIETNAM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Liên Đoàn Thương Mại Và Công Nghiệp Việt Nam
Sat, Nov 14, 2020, 09:45:00
The 12th Mekong-Japan Summit was virtually held on November 13 under the chair of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Japanese counterpart Suga Yoshihide and with the participation of senior leaders of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Japanese counterpart Suga Yoshihide
co-chair 12th Mekong-Japan Summit - Photo: VGP
The annual conference focused on reviewing bilateral cooperation in the past year and discussing orientations to improve cooperation efficiency in the coming period.
The leaders highly appreciated Japan’s cooperation with the Mekong countries in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the cooperation results over the past decade. They highlighted progress in the implementation of the Tokyo Strategy 2018, the Mekong Industrial Development Vision 2.0, the Mekong-Japan Initiative for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) toward 2030, and the Kusanone Mekong SDGs Initiative.
Leaders of the Mekong countries lauded the initiatives proposed by PM Suga at the summit, including the Investment Partnership for Mekong SDGs Initiative, cooperation in enhancing regional supply chains, and capacity building programs in a number of specialized areas.
At the summit, the leaders stated that the world in general and the Mekong region in particular are confronting great challenges due to the pandemic, natural disasters and geopolitical uncertainties. In that context, they reiterated their efforts in pandemic combat and economic recovery, and agreed on the need to step up connectivity.
Photo: VGP
They shared the views that economic development should go in tandem with environmental protection, the mitigation of the impact of natural disasters, the enhancement of adaptability to climate change, sustainable use and management of Mekong River water resources, digital transformation, and regional supply chain development.
Addressing the event, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc asserted the important contributions of the Mekong-Japan strategic partnership to the socio-economic development of the member countries, as well as to peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
He proposed orientations for the development of the Mekong-Japan cooperation in the coming period, with an urgent task being to continue effective management of COVID-19, gradual economic recovery, and support for workers and enterprises to resume production and business activities in a “new normal”.
At the end of the summit, the leaders adopted a joint statement of the 12th Mekong-Japan Summit and agreed to hold the 13th Mekong-Japan Summit in Japan next year./.
