The Japanese Prime Minister Kan Yoshihide will visit Vietnam, and it is rumored that Japan will sign an agreement to allow the export of defense equipment and technology to Vietnam. Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Chang did not respond to the rumors, saying only that the two sides would deepen practical cooperation in defense and other areas. The state-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reports that Kan will visit Vietnam and Indonesia from 18 to 21. The English-language website Nikkei Asia says Japan is on the verge of signing an agreement allowing it to export defense equipment and technology to Vietnam in order to strengthen the Indo-Pacific country’s ability to counter China’s maritime development.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said that during Kan’s visit, he will discuss with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc a range of areas of cooperation, including defense, to deepen and strengthen pragmatic defense cooperation in a multilateral framework, and to cooperate and effectively carry out cooperation in the field of peacekeeping.
Le Thi Thu Chang said that Vietnam adheres to a policy of peace and self-defense, and the Vietnam-Japan broad strategic partnership has been developing positively in recent years in the areas of investment, trade, culture, education, defense and security.
Commenting on Vietnam’s role in the Indo-Pacific strategy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam added in a written response that Vietnam and the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have recently put forward the vision of the East Asia Partnership (EAP) on the Indo-Pacific Vision (AOIP) and listed the priority areas and principles of cooperation, building an open, transparent, inclusive and rule-based regional architecture centered on EAP, promoting regional cooperation initiatives, etc.
The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Vietnam hopes and welcomes initiatives that contribute to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region on the basis of respect for international rules, laws, and the legitimate rights and interests of all countries, ensuring that the Association plays a central role in the emerging regional structure.
Kan’s visit to Vietnam is significant because it is not only his first trip to the country one month after becoming Prime Minister, but also the second in a row that the new Japanese Prime Minister has chosen Vietnam as his first country to visit, which has been widely discussed in the Vietnamese media recently.
As Japan is one of the major sources of foreign investment in Vietnam, Vietnamese media analysts say that Kan will discuss the direction of economic cooperation between Vietnam and Japan at a time when the world and regions are preparing for the post-epidemic era, and will inevitably touch on the South China Sea.
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