HANOI -- Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc agreed Monday that their countries would resume short-term business travel between the two.
The agreement was reached at Phuc's office in Hanoi on Monday morning, during Suga's first diplomatic trip as prime minister. Suga announced the decision at a joint press conference in Hanoi after the summit meeting, which was Suga's first face-to-face dialogue with a foreign political leader since taking the reins of government.
Suga and Phuc also confirmed their cooperation to realize the vision of a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific," as China is strengthening its presence in the East and South China seas and other areas.
"I would like [Japan and Vietnam], together as Indo-Pacific countries, to contribute to regional development and prosperity through bilateral collaboration," Suga was quoted as saying to Phuc during their meeting.
Vietnam, which chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year, is disputing territorial rights with China in the South China Sea. The two leaders will seek to rein in China's growing influence in the region by promoting the Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision.
Suga will on Tuesday travel to Jakarta, where he will meet with President Joko Widodo. On Wednesday, he will hold a press conference before returning to Japan that day.
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