Recently, before visiting Japan, Vietnamese President Vo Van Thanh specially invited the Chinese Minister of Commerce to visit Vietnam and express his position to China. The move hints at China's importance in Vietnam's foreign policy. Although Vietnam's relations with Japan are deepening, Vietnam still attaches importance to its relations with China and hopes to maintain close ties with China while strengthening cooperation with Japan. In this article, we will discuss why Vietnam is paying more attention to its relationship with China, as well as the influence of China and Japan on Vietnam, the areas of cooperation, and the significance for Vietnam's development.
1. Economic cooperation
China is one of Vietnam's largest partners. The two sides continue to grow and cover a wide range of sectors, such as agricultural products, electronic equipment, machinery and textiles. According to statistics, last year, the total amount of China and Vietnam reached 234.9 billion US dollars. China exports large-scale mechanical and electrical products, steel and chemical products to Vietnam, while also importing aquatic products, clothing and agricultural products from Vietnam. In addition, China is also investing directly in Vietnam, especially in manufacturing, energy and infrastructure construction. Cooperation between China and Vietnam under the Belt and Road Initiative, especially in the field of infrastructure construction, has further strengthened economic ties between the two sides.
2. Political cooperation
China and Vietnam have frequently exchanged high-level visits, and mutual trust has been deepened. Today, China and Vietnam have become a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, while Japan is only a "broad strategic partner" with Vietnam. As a result, China has more influence in Vietnam than Japan, and the relationship between the two countries is closer.
3. Experience in subway project cooperation
The Japan-Vietnam Metro project is an important part of the cooperation between the two sides. However, in the process of implementation, the Japanese side continued to delay the construction and put forward harsh requirements for Vietnam. In order to complete this important modernization project, Vietnam had to turn to China for help. China's Guangzhou Metro Group took over the project and provided financial and technical support to Vietnam to resolve the dilemma between the two parties.
1. Economic cooperation
As a fast-growing country, Vietnam is in urgent need of further industrialization and modernization. Japan, as a technologically advanced country, can provide important support and cooperation in this process. The two sides have a wide range of cooperation space in the fields of investment, investment and technical cooperation. In addition, Vietnam also hopes to leverage Japan's experience and technology to enhance its position at the regional and international levels.
2. Regional security cooperation
Vietnam and Japan are both important countries in the Asian region and share the same concern for regional security and stability. The two countries can strengthen cooperation on regional security issues, including maritime security, humanitarian assistance, and counterterrorism. By strengthening cooperation, regional peace and stability can be maintained.
3. Education and cultural exchanges
Educational and cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Japan are very active. Japan is one of the important destinations for Vietnamese students, who receive education in Japan and contribute to people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. At the same time, the two countries can also strengthen exchanges in culture, art, sports, and other fields to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.
Despite Vietnam's cooperation with Japan, there is potential tension in relations between the two sides. For example, Japan has imposed harsh demands on Vietnam on its subway project and delayed construction. In addition, Japan is trying to increase its influence in the South China Sea by including Vietnam in its friendly support framework. However, for Vietnam, this is not good and may even find itself in a security dilemma. Therefore, although the Vietnamese chairman's visit to Japan may seem good on the surface, in reality, Vietnam has reservations about Japan's cooperation.
To sum up, Vietnam attaches more importance to its relations with China. China is one of Vietnam's largest partners and plays an important role in economic, political and metro cooperation. Vietnam's relations with Japan are deepening, but there are underlying tensions between the two sides. While strengthening cooperation with Japan, Vietnam also hopes to maintain close ties with China. China is more trustworthy to Vietnam than Japan, so Vietnam is communicating with China before strengthening cooperation with Japan. The cooperation between China and Vietnam is of great significance to Vietnam's economy and development.