HCMCity (VNA) – The annual roundtable conference between Ho Chi Minh Cityofficials and the Japanese business community has become an effectivecommunications channel, contributing to building close ties between the twosides, delegates said an event marking 20 years of the conference on December14.

Openingthe event, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Vo Van Hoan notedthat as of the end of November, there were 3,218 Japanese investment projectsin the city with total direct and indirect investment capital topping 7.4billion USD, accounting for 10.44 percent of total foreign investment in thecity.
 
Hoan said the results are attributable to the city administration’s support ofinvestors in the forms of policies and mechanisms. In particular, the administrationhas proactively learned about and drastically handled difficulties andobstacles for foreign investors via holding roundtable conferences with theJapanese business community.  ’

In her report reviewing 20 years of the roundtable conference, Deputy Director ofthe Investment & Trade Promotion Center of HCM City(ITPC) Cao Thi Phi Van said the number of Japanese projectsin the city had risen from 69 in 1998 to 3,218 in 2021, which is a vividmanifestation of the effectiveness of the 20 roundtable conferences heldthroughout the years.

Van said such conferences have helped win the trust of the Japanese businesscommunity in the city’s commitment to ensuring a stable environment forinvestment and business, protecting the legitimate rights and interest ofinvestors and facilitating long-term stable and effective operations ofJapanese businesses in the city.

Representatives from Japanese businesses said amid the heavy impacts ofCOVID-19, the city administration has attentively listened to and understoodthe difficulties of enterprises, thus making correct and timely decisions tohelp the business community gradually recovery production and businessactivities.

Theyexpressed their wish that the municipal authorities will continue to eliminatefactors that hinder the operations of enterprises, thus strengthening thetrustful ties between the administration and the business community, andboosting production and business activities.

Vice Chairman Hoan reiterated the city’s commitment to continued coordinationwith the Japanese business community. He said the format of followingroundtable conferences should be renewed in the direction of increasing mutualinteraction and thematic discussion, thus better optimizing the advantages ofeach side for sustainable cooperative relations./.