Japan want to increase investment in Bangladesh and ensure the optimum use of the Special Economic Zones of Bangladesh.
IWAMA Kiminori, Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh, came up with the remarks during a curtesy meeting between the leaders of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) and the Japanese Ambassador on Saturday.
He made the remarks when FBCCI leaders called upon Japan to continue their support towards developing the infrastructures and logistics of Bangladesh, facing the challenges of post LDC graduation and thus building it as a developed nation.
FBCCI President Mahbubul Alam made this call in a courtesy meeting with Japanese Ambassador IWAMA Kiminori held at the FBCCI office in the capital.
Terming Japan as one of the most reliable partners for the development of Bangladesh, Mahbubul said over the past 50 years, the relationship between the two countries has been strengthening gradually, said a press release.
He said Japan's contributions to various large-scale projects and infrastructure development in Bangladesh, including in Metrorail, third terminal of the airport, Meghna Bridge, Matarbari deep sea port, is undeniable.
The FBCCI President sought Japan's cooperation in simplifying visa processing and acquiring technical skills to facilitate higher education for Bangladeshi students in Japan.
He urged the development organisations including JICA, JETRO to come forward to provide necessary training as well as providing logistics to acquire technological skills.
Mahbubul assured that the FBCCI would extend full cooperation in this regard.
In response, the Japanese Ambassador expressed gratitude to Bangladesh for its development partnership with Japan.
"We want to increase Japanese investment in Bangladesh. Besides, we have a plan to ensure the optimum use of the Special Economic Zones of Bangladesh," he added.
The Ambassador also sought FBCCI's suggestions as there are more scopes for discussions over the joint-venture projects of the two countries.
Regarding the export of manpower to Japan, Ambassador Yama Kiminori said, "We are trying to improve the relationship and communication between the two countries commercially. However, there are several barriers as the Japanese government follows international standards especially in terms of importing manpower. In addition, language skills also play a big role in terms of employment there."
The Japanese envoy assured that he would work with the government of Bangladesh to expand its employment opportunities in Japan.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese Ambassador to Dhaka Nguyn Manh Cuong paid a courtesy call on FBCCI President in the afternoon.
During the meeting, the FBCCI President urged the Vietnamese industrial entrepreneurs to invest in Bangladesh's promising sectors.
Highlighting the trade of the two countries, Mahbubul said the bilateral trade volume between Bangladesh and Vietnam in the fiscal year 2021-2022 was slightly more than US$1100 million of which Bangladesh's imports from Vietnam reached US$1010.
On the other hand, Bangladesh's exports of products to Vietnam totaled only US$92.77 million leading to a huge trade deficit.
Noting that Bangladesh has a long-standing friendly relationship with Vietnam, the head of the FBCCI said they want more investment from Vietnam to reduce this huge trade gap.
He also urged Vietnam to import more products from Bangladesh.
In the meeting, it was stressed that Vietnam has trade potentials in several sectors of Bangladesh including in agricultural products and food processing, electrical machinery and components, marine resources, ICT and telecommunications, light engineering, tourism, leather, jute and textiles.
The Vietnamese Ambassador said that Bangladesh is one of the most promising countries for Vietnamese investors. "There is a huge youth population here.
Moreover, there is a similarity between the economic dynamics of the two countries."
He also hoped that the Vietnam-Bangladesh trade relations would be stronger in the near future.
"A delegation from Vietnam National Assembly will come to Bangladesh on September 21," the envoy said, adding that the trade between Vietnam-Bangladesh would reach into a new height with this visit.
FBCCI vice presidents Khairul Huda Chapal, Mohammad Anwar Sadat Sarkar, Rashedul Hossain Chowdhury Roni, Md Munir Hossain and FBCCI directors were present in both the meetings.