South China Sea: Japan boosts security ties with Vietnam as it ramps up pressure on Beijing
- Countries agree to cooperate on regional issues, including the disputed waterway
- Tokyo and Canberra also agree to strengthen efforts in the Indo-Pacific
In another move set to dismay Beijing, it was also announced that Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi and his Australian counterpart Linda Reynolds had agreed in Tokyo to strengthen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, including maritime activities in the South China Sea.
Speaking to media in Hanoi, Suga described the pact with Vietnam as a “big step in the field of security”. The agreement in principle could see Japan exporting defence equipment and technologies including patrol planes and radar to Vietnam, a rival claimant and vocal critic of Beijing’s expansive claims in the resource-rich South China Sea.
Suga, who took office last month, said Vietnam was a “cornerstone” of efforts to realise a “free and open Indo-Pacific” and that Japan would contribute to “peace and prosperity in the region”, Kyodo News reported.