Vietnam would receive four new patrol boats from India as the country boosts its military capabilities to counter China's growing influence in the disputed South China Sea.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will arrive in Hanoi on Friday for a visit to the south-east Asian nation, is likely to sign an agreement to provide four high-speed patrol boats to the Vietnamese Coast Guard. Indian media also claim that Narendra Modi may discuss the proposed sale of Brahmos cruise missile to Vietnam in the future.

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"We expect conclusion of many agreements and MOUs in important economic, social and strategic sectors including in the fields of science and technology, information technology, defense and security, health, and especially cooperation in traditional medicine systems in our two countries," India's Ambassador to Vietnam Parvathaneni Harish said in an interview with Tuoi Tre newspaper.  

China and Vietman have been engaged in a territorial dispute over the islands in the South China Sea islands. Vietnam has allegedly deployed mobile rocket launchers aimed at China's territory in the contested waters.

In July, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled against China in favor of Philippines in a long-standing territorial dispute over the South China Sea. The U.N.-backed international tribunal rejected Beijing's claims over the contested waters region saying that the country has no legal authority to claim the territory.

China is laying claim to almost 80 percent of the region. Beijing has opposed the ruling, describing it as "null and void."

TagsSouth China Sea, South China Sea Dispute, India, china, Vietnam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi