Hanoi: Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba have pledged their support for a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based international order, with a commitment to international law and the UN Charter. This agreement was reached during Ishiba's official visit to Vietnam, where both leaders emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the East Vietnam Sea (South China Sea) and resolving disputes peacefully as per international law, specifically the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the leaders noted economic cooperation as a fundamental aspect of their bilateral relationship and vowed to enhance collaboration in science, technology, innovation, and the development of high-quality human resources. Ishiba expressed Japan's backing for Vietnam's hosting of the 2027 APEC summit and indicated that Japan would consider sending a government representative to the 16th UNCTAD ministerial meeting in Hanoi.
The leaders also celebrated the strengthening strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan, agreeing to upgrade their current dialogue mechanism to a "2+2" format. This will involve deputy foreign and defense ministers, with the inaugural meeting scheduled for 2025. They also committed to enhancing cooperation in various fields, including infrastructure development, investment, trade, disaster response, climate change, labor, tourism, and cultural exchange, and agreed to hold a local cooperation forum by the end of 2025.
Several significant cooperation documents were signed during the visit, including agreements on semiconductor research, Japanese language education in Vietnamese schools, and energy transition projects.