Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has met top leaders in Hanoi, inking multiple agreements ahead of a speech where she is expected to lay out her vision for a “free and open” Asia-Pacific region.
The trip is Takaichi’s first to Vietnam since becoming prime minister in October and she is seeking deeper bilateral cooperation on energy security, supply chain resilience and technological innovation.
The two countries agreed to work more closely on “economic security including energy, important mineral resources, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and space”, Takaichi said after meeting Prime Minister Le Minh Hung yesterday.
Japan is Vietnam’s largest provider of official development assistance and a key investor and trading partner, with two-way trade surpassing US$50bil last year.
The two countries also have a high-level strategic partnership yesterday which they agreed to advance into a “new phase of development”, Hung said.
He added that the two leaders signed six agreements spanning technology, climate preparedness and information and communication.
They also “reaffirmed the importance of resolving disputes in the South China Sea through peaceful means based on international law,” he said. — AFP
