Japanese, Vietnamese Prime Ministers Discuss 'Open And Free Indo-Pacific Region' - Reports

Japanese, Vietnamese Prime Ministers Discuss 'Open and Free Indo-Pacific Region' - Reports

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh in Tokyo to discuss issues of bilateral cooperation in the region with a particular focus on the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, Japanese media reported on Wednesday

TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th November, 2021) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh in Tokyo to discuss issues of bilateral cooperation in the region with a particular focus on the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, Japanese media reported on Wednesday.

Kishida noted that Vietnam had been an important partner to Japan in building a "open and safe Indo-Pacific region" and stressed that he intends to further develop bilateral relations together with Chinh, according to the NHK broadcaster.

The sides reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining international order based on the rule of law, given China's growing presence in the East China and South China Seas, the news media said.

Additionally, the two leaders reportedly discussed the situation in Myanmar and North Korea.

Other topics on the agenda were the COVID-19 pandemic and interruptions in the semiconductor supply chain, the NHK said.

Kishida has also pledged to provide Vietnam with an additional 1.54 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine and agreed to hasten the supply of defense equipment to the country, Kyodo news reported.