Japan will provide six new patrol boats to Vietnam to enhance its maritime security as China continues to boost its control over the South China Sea region. The important announcement was made on Monday during Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to the Southeast Asian country. 

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"We will strongly support Vietnam's enhancing its maritime law enforcement capability," Abe said, emphasizing that all the territorial disputes in the South China Sea region must be settled through negotiation and as per the international law.

The value of six coastguard patrol vessels stands at 38.5 billion Yen ($338 million). Tokyo would provide Vietnam financial loan at a concessional rate to pay these money, a Japanese official said. However, no timeline has been set to deliver these coastguard vessels.         

It must be noted that Japan had made a similar pledge to give patrol vessels to Hanoi in September last year.  

Vietnam was the last leg of Abe's four-nation Asia pacific visit, with Philippines, Australia, and Indonesia being his other stops.

However, Abe's visit to Hanoi assumed more importance as it is one of the few regional allies that is ready to confront China, after Philippines shocked the world last year by revolting against the US under the new President Rodrigo Duterte.     

Analysts said that outgoing US Secretary of State John Terry's visit to Vietnam few days ago was also prompted due to the same geo-political concerns.

Abe's visit to Hanoi almost coincided with Vietnam's communist party chief Nguyen Phu Trong's recent visit to Beijing. Trong held an hour-long meeting with Chinese President Xi Jingping on Saturday, releasing an official statement after the meeting that said both nations will mutually settle their territorial differences in the South China Sea.

Apparently, India's visit to sell an surface-to-air missile to the Southeast Asian country was also one of the main talks during Trong's visit to Beijing.   

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