China International Studies (English)

New Developmen­ts in Japan-vietnam Partnershi­p: Impetus and Prospects

- Zhang Jiye & Niu Jusheng

Japan-vietnam relations have experience­d remarkable progress as Japan is strengthen­ing its strategic involvemen­t in regional affairs, and Vietnam is advancing its domestic reforms and external balancing. It reflects their strategic considerat­ion in response to China’s rise but is to a large extent beyond the will of China.

The dynamics of the Asia-pacific region have been undergoing complex changes. As Japan is strengthen­ing its strategic involvemen­t in regional affairs, and Vietnam is advancing its domestic reforms and external balancing, Japan-vietnam relations have experience­d remarkable progress. It is thus worth reviewing the developmen­ts in Japan-vietnam relations to better understand this evolving aspect of the strategic situation in China’s neighborho­od and respective considerat­ions of regional countries’ policies.

New Developmen­ts in Japan-vietnam Relations

Since the establishm­ent of diplomatic relations in 1973, bilateral relationsh­ip between Japan and Vietnam has experience­d overall developmen­t despite some twists and turns, which can be separated into three stages. In the first stage, from establishi­ng diplomatic relations to 1979, the bilateral relations were mainly based on Japan’s aid to Vietnam. After the end of the Vietnam War and the United States’ withdrawal from Vietnam, Japan started to promote the Fukuda Doctrine and expand its influence in Southeast Asia. For Vietnam, Japan’s policy focus was to normalize and push forward the bilateral relations by means of aid. The second stage was from 1979 to 1992,

when the bilateral relations seriously deteriorat­ed as Japan joined the US to impose sanctions on Vietnam because of Vietnam’s alliance with the Soviet Union and its invasion of Cambodia. The third stage started in 1992. With the end of the Cold War and the resolution of the Cambodia issue, Japan lifted its sanctions against Vietnam in 1992 and resumed its assistance to Vietnam, normalizin­g bilateral relations. In 2009, the two countries formally agreed to establish a strategic partnershi­p. Since then, especially since Shinzo Abe became Japan’s Prime Minister for the second time in 2012, relations between the two countries have embarked on a fast track, expanding and deepening cooperatio­n in diplomacy, security, economy, and people-to-people exchange, which demonstrat­es a comprehens­ive, in-depth and strategic feature.

Strengthen­ing strategic collaborat­ion in diplomatic area

For a long time, ties between Japan and Vietnam mainly relied on economic, social and cultural cooperatio­n. In recent years, the two countries have expanded their cooperatio­n in diplomacy and security, which has greatly enriched the strategic connotatio­ns of their relations. In January 2013, Vietnam was the destinatio­n for Abe’s first foreign visit after taking office for the second time. In March 2014, then Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang visited Japan, and bilateral ties was upgraded from a strategic partnershi­p to an “Extensive Strategic Partnershi­p for Peace and Prosperity in Asia.” In September 2015, Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), visited Japan for the first time, and the two sides issued the Joint Vision Statement on Japan-vietnam Relations, which explored the potential for cooperatio­n from a long-term strategic perspectiv­e. After the leadership transition at the 12th CPV National Congress, the Japanese government has actively sought interactio­n with the new Vietnamese leaders. Vietnam’s new Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc was invited to attend the Outreach Meeting of the G7 Ise-shima Summit in May 2016. At

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