Japan and Vietnam boost ties with focus on tech and defense
Japan and Vietnam will intensify cooperation in key sectors, including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and defense, according to Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, following a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi.
Ishiba committed to accepting approximately 250 Vietnamese Ph.D. students specializing in semiconductor technology to support the development of this sector in Vietnam.
Furthermore, the leaders agreed to establish a dialogue forum at the deputy minister of foreign affairs and defense level in a 2+2 format to strengthen strategic communication and cooperation in defense equipment and technology.
The cooperation will also include projects related to energy transformation, including offshore wind farms.
Free trade. Vietnam "key partner" for Japan
Ishiba emphasized that Japan views Vietnam as a "key partner" in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific based on principles of the rule of law. The parties also expressed concern about the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
The meeting took place in the context of global economic uncertainty and trade tensions between the USA and China. Ishiba assured that, in connection with the American tariffs, Japan is listening to the concerns of Japanese companies operating in Vietnam.
According to the original plans of U.S. President Donald Trump, products imported from Japan are to be subject to a 24% tariff, and those from Vietnam a 46% tariff.
The Japanese Prime Minister arrived in Vietnam just two weeks after a visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who called on the authorities in Hanoi to oppose "bullying" and maintain "the stability of the global free trade system."
