At the seventh Vietnam-Japan Strategic Partnership Dialogue in Hanoi on June 3, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung and his Japanese counterpart Takeo Mori underlined the need to maintain regular visits and meetings at all levels, particularly the high ones, and raise the efficiency of the existing dialogue mechanisms, contributing to enhancing mutual political trust and understanding.
They agreed to beef up cooperation at regional and international forums, closely coordinate to promote collaboration between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Japan, in the context that Vietnam is the coordinator of the ASEAN-Japan relations for 2018-2021 and will assume the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2020.
Regarding the East Sea issue, they emphasised the significance of ensuring peace, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight, not using or threatening to use force, pushing ahead with the settlement of disputes by peaceful measures in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, fully respecting diplomatic and legal processes, effectively and fully realising the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and soon reaching a pragmatic, legally-binding and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
Both rejoiced at outcomes of the dialogue and agreed to hold the next round in Japan in 2020.
