India, Vietnam to strengthen maritime and trade links

In what can be seen as a strong signal to China, India and Vietnam yesterday agreed to work for an independent, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region as the two sides signed three agreements, including one on enhancing bilateral economy and trade.“We will work together for an independent, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region where sovereignty and international laws are respected and disputes are resolved through dialogue,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a joint press conference with visiting Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang following delegation-level bilateral discussions here.“Both of us are committed to expanding our maritime ties and ensure an open, transparent, inclusive and rules-based regional architecture,” Modi said.Quang said the two countries will work together for regional security, including maritime and cyber security.The remarks assume significance given China’s increasing influence in the Indian Ocean region and aggressive attitude in the South China Sea.In his remarks, Modi said Vietnam has played a significant role within the framework of New Delhi’s Act East Policy and India’s ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional bloc.Vietnam is the country co-ordinator for India with the Asean, a role that will be passed on to Thailand later this year.The prime minister recalled that during his visit to Vietnam in 2016, the bilateral relationship was elevated from a Strategic Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.“Last year, we celebrated 45 years of our diplomatic relationship and the 10th anniversary of our Strategic Partnership,” he said.“Our ties are not just limited to our two governments. Our civilisational ties are 2,000 years old.”Stating that all aspects of the bilateral relationship were discussed in detail in yesterday’s talks, Modi said both India and Vietnam, being developing nations, gain from the experiences of each other.“We are fortunate that thousands of Vietnamese people have received education and training in technical and other areas in India,” he said.He also pointed out that bilateral trade continued to grow even in the current global economic scenario and said trade between the two countries rose from $6bn to $10bn in the last five years.He said the two sides agreed to further strengthen trade and investment ties, including in sectors like renewable energy, agriculture and agro-products, textiles and oil and gas.“We will not only strengthen our longstanding bilateral partnership in oil and gas, but also explore possibilities of working with other countries for trilateral partnership,” Modi said.Stating that defence and security is an important pillar of the strong bilateral ties, the prime minister said the all defence services of the two nations enjoy close co-operation and it was decided in the talks to increase co-operation in defence production.“We will also explore possibilities in co-production and transfer of technology in the defence sector,” he stated.Stating that the old civilisational ties between the two countries are still alive and can be seen in the increasing cultural, tourism and people-to-people links, Modi said the Archaeological Survey of India has contributed to the preservation and restoration My Son Unesco World Heritage site in Vietnam.He also thanked Vietnam for its invaluable support last year in getting Ahmedabad recognised as a Unesco World Heritage City.“Our relations are not only beneficial for the well-being and happiness of our two nations, but also important for peace, security and stability of the entire region,” Modi stated.Quang thanked Vietnam Airlines for planning to start flights between Ho Chi Minh City and New Delhi and urged Indian airlines to start operations between the two countries.At present, there are no direct flights between the two countries.Stating that there will be more breakthroughs in cultural tourism, he said both sides will intensify people-to-people contacts.“Both sides will continue to co-operate in multilateral forums, including in the multifaceted relations with Asean,” Quang said.He said that both countries respect the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), adding that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will continue to be deepened.