Africa Business Radio

Japan and Vietnam have agreed to step up cooperation amid worries about China’s growing military influence, signing a new deal that enables the export of Japanese-made defence equipment and technology to Hanoi.Japan’s Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi says the deal elevates the two countries’ defence partnership to a new level and that Japan and Vietnam plan to deepen defence ties through multinational joint exercises and other means.The Japanese Defence Ministry in a statement says details about the transfer of specific equipment, including naval vessels, will be worked out in subsequent talks, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also says China and Vietnam should refrain from any unilateral actions regarding the South China Sea that could complicate the situation and magnify disagreements.