Viet Nam plays a key role in Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy, Japanese PM Suga says

Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide (left) and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (right) co-chair press briefing following their summit meeting at the Government Office in Ha Noi on October 19, 2020. Photo: VGP

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PM Suga made the above statement at a joint press briefing with his Vietnamese counterpart Xuan Phuc following the pair’s summit meeting on Monday morning.

As an Indo-Pacific country, Japan will continue contributions to peace and prosperity in the region, affirmed Suga, adding that he chose Viet Nam for the first foreign trip as Viet Nam is the most proper destination for him to send out this message.

He said he had a productive meeting with PM Phuc, during which both sides compared notes on a wide range of issues in order to promote the trusted ties between the two countries amid COVID-19 pandemic.

Japan has decided to provide emergency relief for Viet Nam to help the Southeast Asia country overcome consequences caused by heavy rains in the central region, pledging to continue sharing national disaster prevention experience with Viet Nam, according to Suga.

Both sides agreed to tighten cooperation over regional matters, including the East Sea issue, and basically reached consensus on an agreement on transfer of defense equipment and technology, which is a big leap forward in the bilateral defense cooperation, the Japanese said.

The two sides have signed a dozen of documents on environment, energy and development cooperation.

Meanwhile, PM Phuc once again congratulated Suga on election as new Japanese PM, welcoming his first foreign visit to Viet Nam.

Phuc said he had a successful meeting with Suga as both sides agreed to strengthen political trust through regular exchange of visits and contacts as well as dialogues at all levels to promote cooperation across fields, including defense, security, COVID-19 containment, and especially economy.

The two countries also agreed to foster coordination at multilateral for a. As the current ASEAN Chair and non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, Viet Nam welcomes Japan, a global power, to continue its active role and positive contributions to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.

Both sides re-affirmed the importance of ensuring peace, security, safety and freedom of aviation and navigation in the East Sea, beefing up settlement of disputes via peaceful measures, avoiding the use or threat of force, seriously abiding by international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), respecting diplomatic and legal processes, fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, and early concluding a practical and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea that is in line with the UNCLOS.

By Kim Anh