Japanese PM pledges to strengthen energy cooperation with Vietnam
Axios (Tổng hợp từ Al Jazeera English)
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visited Hanoi and signed six agreements with Vietnamese counterpart Le Minh Hung, focusing on energy, critical minerals, and economic security. The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of peaceful resolution of East Sea disputes based on international law. Japan will help secure crude oil supplies for Vietnam’s Nghi Son refinery under a $10 billion Asia Energy Initiative.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Japan will step up ties with Vietnam, particularly in energy and critical minerals.
Ms. Takaichi met Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung in Hanoi on Saturday, signing six agreements covering areas from infrastructure and agriculture to space cooperation.
“Both sides identified economic security as a new priority area for bilateral cooperation,” Ms. Takaichi told reporters after the meeting.
“On critical minerals, the two sides agreed to enhance close coordination to ensure stable supply and strengthen supply chains,” she added.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung said the two leaders “reaffirmed the importance of resolving disputes in the East Sea through peaceful means based on international law.”
Japan and Vietnam share concerns over China’s territorial claims in the East Sea and are seeking to diversify economic and security ties to counter trade disruptions caused by the United States.
Crude oil supply
The push for cooperation comes as new Japanese investment in Vietnam—one of the largest foreign investors—fell about 75 percent year-on-year to $233 million in the first quarter, though bilateral trade rose 12.3 percent to $13.7 billion in the same period, according to government and customs data.
Vietnam has sought support from Japan and other countries for oil supplies as Middle East conflict drives up prices and disrupts supply chains.
Under the $10 billion Asia Energy Initiative aimed at helping Asian countries achieve energy independence, Japan will help arrange crude oil supply for Vietnam’s Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Plant, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung said.
Ms. Takaichi was also scheduled to meet President To Lam—who is also General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam—on Saturday afternoon and deliver a keynote speech at Vietnam National University in Hanoi, marking a decade since the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe introduced Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” strategy.
