Tokyo:

Canada is in discussions about joining an expanded AUKUS deal between the US, Britain, and Australia formed to counter China’s growing military influence in the Indo-Pacific region, Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair said.

Canada has said it wants to join a second pillar of AUKUS that will collaborate on new military technologies, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing, but has not so far revealed any details of those talks.

The military alliance AUKUS stands for Australia, United Kingdom, United States.

“There have been important discussions about processes and platforms on a project-specific basis on where other nations, including Japan and ourselves, might participate,” Blair said in an interview in Tokyo where he met his Japanese counterpart Minoru Kihara.

“I would respectfully wait until they’ve come to their determination, but I’m very optimistic,” he said.

Blair said he and Kihara discussed AUKUS, which is already considering working with Japan. The initial phase of AUKUS involves the three founding members working on nuclear submarine technology for Australia.

Blair, who was on his first trip to Japan as defence minister, arrived in Tokyo from South Korea, which is also in talks about a role in AUKUS.

Canada is looking for a bigger security role in Asia and has made forging deeper ties with Japan and South Korea a priority. As its defence commitments expand at home and overseas the country is expanding military spending.

“Next year, my defence budget will rise by 27% over this year, and, frankly, in the next three or four years, our defence spending will triple,” Blair said.

He and Kihara also discussed Chinese incursions into Japanese territory that last month prompted Tokyo to lodge protests with Beijing.

Concerns about that Chinese military activity may be discussed at a meeting of the Group of Seven defence ministers in Italy next month, Blair said.

“It’s an important opportunity for us to have a conversation among the G7 partners about some of the activities that are deeply concerning to Japan and to Canada and to the United States and others,” he said.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

India and Vietnam today adopted an action plan to expand their strategic ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowing to work jointly for a rules-based Indo-Pacific and asserting that New Delhi supports development and “not expansionism” in remarks that came amid concerns over China’s military posturing in the region.

The two sides signed six memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and finalised three other documents to broadbase cooperation in a range of areas following wide-ranging talks between PM Modi and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

It was also decided that India will provide USD 300 million credit line to Vietnam primarily to strengthen the Southeast Asian nation’s maritime security.

An agreement was sealed between the central banks of the two countries for rolling out digital payment connectivity.

Prime Minister Chinh arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday night on a three-day visit that is aimed at further expanding the comprehensive strategic ties between the two countries.

“In our Act East policy and our Indo-Pacific vision, Vietnam is our important partner… We support development, not expansionism (Hum vistarbad nahi, vikasvad ka samarthan karte hei),” PM Modi said in Hindi in his media statement.

“We will continue our cooperation for a free, open, rules-based and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” he said.

PM Modi said that both sides decided that cooperation will be strengthened to deal with terrorism and cyber security issues.

“We believe that ‘Developed India 2047’ and Vietnam’s ‘Vision 2045’ have accelerated development in both countries. This is opening up many new areas of mutual cooperation,” PM Modi said.

“And therefore, to further strengthen our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, today we have adopted a new plan of action,” he said.

PM Modi said new steps have been taken for cooperation in the field of defence and security.

The two prime ministers also remotely inaugurated an Army Software Park at Telecommunications University Nha Trang. It has been built with New Delhi’s development assistance.

“The agreed USD 300 million credit line will strengthen Vietnam’s maritime security,” PM Modi said.

“We agree that, to realise the mutual trade potential, the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement should be concluded as early as possible,” he said.

Vietnam is a key member of 10-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

“We have decided to focus on the areas of green economy and new emerging technologies. Each other’s capabilities in energy and port development will be harnessed for mutual benefit,” PM Modi said.

The prime minister also invited people from Vietnam to the Buddhist circuit in India. “And we want the youth of Vietnam to also take advantage of Nalanda University.” In his remarks, Modi said India-Vietnam relations have both “expanded and deepened” over the past decade.

“In the last 10 years, we have transformed our relations into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Our bilateral trade has increased by more than 85 percent,” he said.

“Mutual cooperation has expanded in energy, technology, and development partnership. Mutual cooperation in defence and security areas has gained new momentum,” he said.

“Over the past decade, connectivity has increased. And today we have more than 50 direct flights between us. Along with this, tourism is continuously increasing, and people have also been given the facility of e-visa,” PM Modi said.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar with his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son during a meeting of the 18th India-Vietnam Joint Commission, in Hanoi on October 16, 2023. Photo: X/@DrSJaishankar

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son on October 16 and discussed ways to boost cooperation in areas like trade, energy, defence and maritime security while also sharing perspectives on the Indo-Pacific, amidst China’s aggressive behaviour in the region.

Mr. Jaishankar and Mr. Son also jointly unveiled commemorative stamps celebrating 50 years of establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Vietnam.

“Stamps depicting Kalaripayattu and Vovinam capture our shared affinity for sports and celebrate the strong cultural, social & people-to-people links between India and Vietnam,” he posted on X.

Mr. Jaishankar, who arrived on a four-day official visit to Vietnam on Oct. 15, also attended a meeting of the 18th India-Vietnam Joint Commission in Hanoi on Oct. 16.

“Thank my co-chair @FMBuiThanhSon. Our discussions covered cooperation in political, defence & maritime security, judicial, trade & investment, energy, development, education & training, science & technology, cultural domains,” he said.

“Convinced that our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will only further strengthen over the coming years. Also shared perspectives on the Indo-Pacific region, our commitment to global issues and our collaboration in various multilateral groupings,” he said.

The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region, comprising the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea.

The U.S., India and several other world powers have been discussing the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China’s rising military manoeuvring in the resource-rich region.