Japan, Vietnam commit to free trade amid US tariff challenges; security co-op ‘should not target third party’

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Monday agreed to maintain a free trade regime in the face of tariffs imposed by the US, while also establishing a "two-plus-two" framework to enhance security cooperation, according to media reports. 

Ishiba is also expected to visit the Philippines and discuss intelligence sharing and coast guard cooperation during his trip, media reported. 

Analysts said Japan is reaching out to ASEAN countries to alleviate tariff pressures from the US. However, they warned that Tokyo's security cooperation in the region should not "target any third party."

Ishiba arrived in Vietnam on April 27. According to the Japanese news outlet Asahi, both Ishiba and Chinh affirmed their commitment to cooperate in the international community by contributing to the maintenance and strengthening of a free and open international order based on the rule of law.

In the area of security, Ishiba and Chinh agreed to establish a "two-plus-two" framework, with the first meeting of foreign and defense vice ministers to be held in Japan by the end of this year, Japanese media said. 

Lü Chao, an expert at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that against the backdrop of the US waging a global tariff war, Japan is reaching out to ASEAN countries to strengthen ties and consolidate new markets.

Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, said Japan's trade negotiations with the US have not gone smoothly due to Washington's tariff policies, fueling strong domestic calls in Japan to improve relations with other Asia countries. In countering the US tariff war, seeking cooperation with other countries is crucial for Japan - both to expand markets and to offset economic losses, Da said.

Ishiba is scheduled to fly to the Philippines on April 29. Some Japanese media said Ishida aims to deepen Japan's economic and security ties with Southeast Asian nations during his tour as the US administration's involvement in the region "grows increasingly uncertain."

During his stay in Manila starting Tuesday, Ishiba will hold talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and is expected to agree to begin discussions on an intelligence-sharing pact and hold joint drills between the two countries' coast guards, according to Kyodo News.

Ishiba claimed before departing Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Sunday, that China "unilaterally attempts to change the status quo by force" in the East and South China seas, according to Kyodo News on Sunday.

"Japan's engagement with ASEAN members should not target any third party. While dispatching senior ruling-party figures to visit China recently, Tokyo is simultaneously courting other countries to counter China, which reveals its ambivalence," Lü said. 

Da said that Japan's attempts to deepen security and military cooperation with Southeast Asian countries will be a destabilizing factor in the region.