ASEAN countries must uphold the spirit of independence, self-reliance, self-resilience and respect for the rule of law, and stay steadfast to their fundamental principles and norms of conduct, he said. He affirmed that Vietnam will work closely with Laos, the Chair of ASEAN in 2024, to continue stepping up ASEAN's cooperation goals. The NA leader sought Japan’s continued supply of official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam in socio-economic projects as well as its new-generation ODA programme for Vietnam, with preferential terms and simplified, flexible procedures. The host also committed all possible support for Japanese citizens and businesses to do business stably and successfully in Vietnam. Members of the Japanese House of Councillors described Vietnam as a top priority of Japan in its effort to diversify supply chains.

Source: Viet Nam News September 06, 2023 15:25 UTC