UAE, Japan seek to diversify cooperation

Hiroyuki Ishige, chairman and CEO, Japan External Trade Organisation, speaks at the Japan-UAE Business Forum in Abu Dhabi.

The UAE and Japan have agreed to diversify their bilateral cooperation into non-oil fields such as renewable energy, advanced robotics and artificial intelligence, defence, aviation and security, among others.

A joint statement was issued by both countries following a meeting between His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan.

Both countries hailed the joint statement as the "opening of a new chapter of cooperation towards prosperity and stability."

"The domestic situation in the UAE is stable - politically and economically - and that gives it a unique diplomatic position. Having a strong bilateral relation with the UAE is key for Japan as it is the most reliable and stable supplier of oil," Norio Maruyama, Japan's Press Secretary, said during a media briefing on Monday.

Cooperation in IP, energy
While recognising the UAE as an important gateway to Africa, Middle East and Europe, both countries shared their strong determination to cooperate on intellectual property rights and combating fake products. The 2 countries will also cooperate in the field of clean and renewable energy, sustainable waste management and peaceful use of nuclear energy to combat climate change.
Both sides reaffirmed their willingness to encourage business exchanges among small and medium enterprises, taking advantage of incentives provided by the UAE's free zones and the SME Overseas Business Support Platform based in Dubai.

To further advance cooperation in the financial sector, the UAE and Japan welcomed the initiative of holding the UAE-Japan Strategic Economic Partnership Forum. A bilateral investment protection treaty was also signed on Monday to boost investment flows.

Both sides confirmed the UAE's willingness to expand its downstream business and Japan's interest in participating in both upstream and downstream growth projects. They reaffirmed the possibility of exploring joint projects in the oil and gas industry.

As per the joint statement, both countries expressed desire to promote further cooperation and exchange in defence. They acknowledged the importance of holding security dialogue to deepen mutual understanding and to enhance expertise in the security field.

They also stressed the importance of increasing cooperation in the field of defence equipment and technology of common interest and working together to establish a framework to promote defence cooperation by signing a memorandum of defence cooperation and exchange.

In the field of aviation, both countries will hold negotiations between authorities in Japan and the UAE to further ties.

Security cooperation
Both the UAE and Japan stated their determination to further contribute to achieving peace, stability and prosperity in the world, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. In the joint statement, the 2 countries condemned terrorism and extremism in all forms and expressed their shared commitment to cooperating to fight against terrorism and violent extremism at the global level.

Both sides also stressed the importance of promoting cooperation to combat transnational organised crime, including money laundering, drugs, narcotics smuggling and human trafficking.

Both sides welcomed the positive outcome of the first ministerial-level policy consultations between UAE and Japan held in Tokyo in April 2018 to increase mutual understanding of regional and international issues and build common ground to promote bilateral relations. The joint statement saw the renewal of commitment to strengthening dialogue and consultations.

Japanese rocket H2A will launch KhalifaSat, the first UAE-made remote sensing Earth observation satellite, in 2018, said the Press Secretary.

He said both countries are committed to reinforcing cooperation in the fields of advanced technology, cyber security, robotic, IoT, big data analysis, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, nanotechnology and space activities.

"Our cooperation in the fields of elementary and secondary education is also notable. Twenty-nine Emirati students are enrolled in the 2 Japanese curriculum schools, out of which 18 are in elementary and secondary levels and 11 are in kindergarten," said Maruyama. There is a Japanese school, both in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Both countries also reiterated their commitment to further expand cooperation in the fields of elementary and secondary education, standardisation of education curriculum, moral education, Japanese and Arabic language education, Stem education, long-term internship, vocational training, industry-academia collaboration and cooperation between universities, including joint research.

- anjana@khaleejtimes.com

Anjana Sankar

anjana@khaleejtimes.com