Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh agreed Sunday to join hands to tackle China’s territorial claims in the nearby waters to ensure regional peace and stability.
Kishida and Chinh held talks on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Japan’s western city of Hiroshima, in which the leaders from the advanced economies discussed how to counter China’s increasing military assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region.
Tokyo and Hanoi have been deepening bilateral relations, as they have been involved in territorial disputes with Beijing in the East and South China seas, respectively.
Japan pledged to provide official development aid worth around 60.98 billion yen ($440 million) to fund Vietnam’s infrastructure projects and policy steps to prop up the economy from the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
At his meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, meanwhile, Kishida welcomed the recent progress in security cooperation between their countries, according to the ministry.
During their 10-minute talks, Kishida and Albanese reaffirmed the importance of Japan-Australia collaboration in the natural resource and energy fields, the ministry added.
On Sunday, Kishida also met with Comoros President Azali Assoumani. With Comoros currently serving as the chair of the African Union, the two leaders exchanged views on the situation in Sudan and other regional issues, the ministry said.
The leaders of Vietnam, Australia and Comoros were invited as guests to the three-day G-7 summit that ended Sunday in Hiroshima.