Japan, Vietnam reach defence agreement amid tension with China

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has reportedly signed a defence agreement with his Vietnamese counterpart during his ongoing trip to Hanoi. Suga, during his first foreign visit since taking office last month, has reached an agreement with Vietnam, seeking to increase military equipment transactions between both the nations. The nitty-gritty of the deal is unclear but Vietnam is expected to buy defence equipment and technology from Japan. "Vietnam is crucial to achieving our vision of ‘the Free and Open Indo-Pacific,’ and our valuable partner," Suga was quoted as saying by Associated Press.  

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The two countries also agreed to cooperate on security issues, especially in the South China Sea and the threat posed by the North Korean regime. The two countries also agreed to resume passenger flight services which were suspended keeping in mind the COVID-19 outbreak. Suga called the agreement a "big step" in terms of security cooperation between both nations. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that both countries agreed on resolving regional tensions without the use of violence and also welcomes Japan's role in contributing to peace and stability in the region. 

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Japan and Vietnam also agreed to increase bilateral trade as Suga said that his country will promote diversification of the supply chain. Suga has been reportedly looking at diversifying the supply chain in order to help local businesses lessen the reliance on China for production and manufacturing. Both Japan and Vietnam have China as their largest trading partner, which makes the disputes even more concerning for them than that for Beijing. 

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Tensions in East & South China Sea 

The agreement between Suga and Phuc comes amid a recent escalation of tension in the East China Sea. Beijing sent two ships in the waters near the Senkaku islands, which is claimed by Japan. Despite several warnings from the Japanese coast guards, Chinese vessels allegedly refused to move and stayed there for over 60 hours, which Japan described as the longest incursion by the Chinese in eight years. Meanwhile, Vietnam has its own dispute with China in the South China Sea, where it counters Beijing's overstated territorial claims. 

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(With inputs from AP)