Japanese and Vietnamese PMs hold meeting

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga met with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Monday to boost bilateral relations with the Southeast Asian country during his first trip aboard as leader. Suga, who arrived in Hanoi late on Sunday, attended an official welcoming ceremony before holding an hour long meeting with Phuc behind closed doors.

The pair then witnessed a signing ceremony of several agreements on cooperation in various fields including port infrastructure building and other investment projects. Japan is one of Vietnam's top trading partners with two way revenue of $28.6 billion since the beginning of the year.

The nation is also Vietnam's largest Official Development Assistance donor, covering over a quarter of Vietnam's foreign loans. In August, Vietnam signed a deal of 6 patrol boats worth $345 million with Japan to increase its maritime capacity. The deal comes as China continues the development and militarisation of artificial islands in the contested South China Sea.

It is a second time, after Suga's predecessor Shinzo Abe, that a Japanese prime minister choose Vietnam to be the first country for their trip aboard. Suga is also the first head of a state to visit Vietnam since the country closed its border to contain COVID-19.