The Party chief commended the significant contributions of the Japanese bank and Maeda to Vietnam's socio-economic development, particularly through key projects in infrastructure and climate change response.

Party General Secretary To Lam (right) and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) Maeda Tadashi at their meeting in Hanoi on December 4. (Photo: VNA)

Lam affirmed that Vietnam places great importance on its relationship with Japan, saying the issues of interests of the Japanese Government and the JBIC are also Vietnam's breakthrough priorities in the time ahead, including transport infrastructure, energy, and digital technology.

He welcomed the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) initiated by former Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and noted Vietnam's readiness to collaborate with Japan and other countries in this field.

The Party leader called on Japan and the bank to continue supporting Vietnam's development, while paying heed to promoting infrastructure connectivity in Southeast Asia and the Mekong subregion, especially transport, energy, and big data infrastructure.

For his part, Maeda stressed that the Japanese Government, including the JBIC, considers Vietnam an important partner in the region and is willing to cooperate with the Southeast Asian nation in traditional areas, such as transport infrastructure and climate change response, and expand cooperation to new fields, including energy transition, artificial intelligence, big data, and support for startups, contributing to Vietnam's development as well as the relationship between the two countries.