Japan promises Vietnam support for fighting Covid

Kishida said during talks with Chinh in Tokyo on Wednesday that Japan would donate another 1.5 million vaccines in time for them to be flown back to Vietnam on the PM’s flight home on Thursday.

Chinh is on a four-day visit to Japan at the invitation of Kishida, the first leader to visit since the latter took office in early October.

Japan has already donated 5.6 million doses to Vietnam besides medical equipment and other supplies for combating Covid.

The two sides agreed to continue their close collaboration for research into and production of vaccines and drugs to treat Covid-19.

Kishida said bilateral relations have been on an upward trajectory in recent years and are now "at the best stage ever in history."

Chinh said Vietnam considers Japan a reliable, important and long-term strategic partner, and put forth a number of proposals to promote cooperation, including economic connectivity, investment cooperation, infrastructure development, and climate change response.

The two leaders concurred on the need for continued security and defense cooperation, including defense technologies, military medicine, cybersecurity, United Nations peacekeeping, and improving maritime law enforcement capacity, and considering resumption of commercial flights post-Covid with vaccine passports.

They witnessed their ministers, officials and businesses sign 11 documents for cooperation in areas such as maritime search and rescue, military medicine, cybersecurity, and climate change.

The two nations established diplomatic relations in 1973. Japan is one of Vietnam's most important economic partners: It is the biggest ODA provider, the second largest investor and fourth largest trade partner.