Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged on Saturday to deepen ties with Vietnam, focusing on energy and critical minerals in talks with Prime Minister Le Minh Hung. The leaders discussed advancing their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established in 2023. Takaichi later urged Southeast Asian nations to strengthen regional supply chains.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung on Saturday and identified economic security as a new priority for bilateral cooperation. "The two sides identified economic security as a new priority area for bilateral cooperation," Takaichi told reporters after the meeting.
The leaders discussed deepening cooperation in energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and space. Under the $10 billion Power Asia Initiative, Japan will assist in arranging crude oil supplies for Vietnam's Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Complex, Hung said.
In a policy speech at Vietnam National University, Takaichi highlighted risks from Middle East conflicts to petroleum supplies. "To ensure a stable supply of petroleum products essential to economic activity, Japan and ASEAN must jointly strengthen regional supply chains," she said. She linked this to renewing Japan's "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" strategy, first introduced by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a decade ago, with a stronger focus on economic security.
Hung expressed Vietnam's alignment with Japan's regional strategies. The two sides agreed to advance their high-level strategic partnership, inked six agreements on technology, climate preparedness, and information and communication, and reaffirmed resolving South China Sea disputes peacefully under international law.
