Vietnam and Japan agree to boost defence, economic, energy ties

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (center left) and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc feeding the fish by a pond at the Presidential Palace compound in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Monday (Oct 19, 2020). Suga is on an official visit to Vietnam. - AP

HANOI, Oct 19 (AP): Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, in his first summit foray since taking office last month, agreed with his Vietnamese counterpart to step up defence and security cooperation in the face of China's expanding influence in the region.

In talks in Hanoi on Monday, Suga and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc set a basic agreement allowing Japan to export defence equipment and technology to Vietnam.