Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, agreed Monday to work together to maintain peace and security in the South China Sea, where Hanoi is engaged in a territorial dispute with Beijing.
During their meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo, the two leaders also confirmed their readiness to promote free and fair trade through regional trade agreements, including the 11-member Trans-Pacific Partnership, despite a trend of rising protectionism.
"Going hand-in-hand with Prime Minister Phuc, I am determined to realize the free and open Indo-Pacific region," which covers the South China Sea, Abe said in a press conference.