Japan on Wednesday announced that it would offer Vietnam two large patrol ships. The move is expected to help Hanoi to shore up its maritime security against China in the disputed South China Sea.

Reuters reported that the announcement was made after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyễn Xuân Phúc in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. The meeting took place on the sidelines of Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Laos.     

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Vietnam would acquire the two patrol ships under a low-interest loan scheme granted by Japan. Tokyo has also announced that it would offer five used surveillance aircraft to the Philippines, another important claimant in the South China Sea.

Tokyo's decision to dole out military assistance to South China Sea claimant countries comes weeks after China warned Japan to stay out of the South China Sea dispute. Japan is locked in a bitter dispute with China over maritime territory in the East China Sea.

Hanoi has been looking to enhance its military and naval capabilities to counter China's increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed territory. Vietnam's military pursuit got a major boost in May after U.S President Barack Obama revoked a 41-year-old U.S. ban on arms sale to the country. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited  Vietnam last week, also assured the country of substantial military assistance.

Vietnam, the Philippines and other small claimants in South China Sea dispute are overtly depended on American military assistance to cope with China's increasing power.   

TagsJapan, Japan and Vietnam, South China Sea Dispute, Japan and China, china