Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has granted an interview to the Japanese media ahead of his official visit to the Northeast Asian country, saying that Vietnam wishes to bring bilateral relations to a new height.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (L) is welcomed at Haneda International Airport on November 22 evening, beginning a four-day official visit to Japan. (Photo: VNA)

Responding in writing to questions from NHK, PM Chinh said he is honoured to become the first foreign leader to be invited to Japan since the Kishida administration was launched, noting that Vietnam is eager to take bilateral relations to the next level for the sake of peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and beyond.

Nikkei Asia reported that in an interview granted to press outlets of Japan, PM Chinh affirmed Vietnam is committed to restoring supply chains after its coronavirus lockdown disrupted a key production base for global companies.

He said Vietnam has shifted from the “zero COVID” strategy to the “living safely with COVID” approach to seek ways for effectively controlling the spread of the pandemic. He also thanked the Japanese Government and people for presenting 4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam, according to Nikkei Asia.

The newspaper quoted the PM as saying that Vietnam will accelerate the development of human resources, with a focus on training in digital and high technology skills. He pledged to cooperate with Japan, which is facing a shortage of human resources.

Giving a written interview to Jiji Press, the Vietnamese leader said the country aims to strengthen cooperation with Japan, including in measures against the novel coronavirus. Specifically, it hopes that Japan will transfer technologies on vaccines and medicines to prevent the spread of the virus.

Vietnam's relationship with Japan is at its best stage, with the two nations able to trust each other in many fields, PM Chinh noted.

He expressed hopes for even stronger cooperation between the two countries after referring to Japan's provision of over 4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Vietnam, Jiji Press reported.

PM Chinh is paying an official visit to Japan from November 22 to 25, during which he is expected to hold talks with his counterpart Kishida Fumio to exchange opinions on the enhancement of the bilateral ties./.