Vietnam, a key Southeast Asian

A joint statement issued at that time committed both countries to forge a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, thereby bringing their ongoing cooperation to “new heights and to further expand it to new fronts”. It was a clear demonstration that Japan had prioritised to develop closer ties with Vietnam, a key Southeast Asian country that has important security and economic roles in the region faced with China’s rise and rivalry with the US and other Western nations. Japan thus gained the status of Vietnam’s top-tier partners, along with the US, China and India. It may be recalled that under OSA, Japan had already agreed to provide coastal surveillance radar to the Philippines, another strategically important Southeast Asian country for Japan สล็อต