Japan, Vietnam sign defense transfer deal amid China worries

[BlueWavePsych]

Source: ABC

Japan can now give defense equipment and technology to Vietnam under an agreement signed Saturday, as the two countries step up their military cooperation amid worries about China's growing military influence.

Japan's Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said the deal elevates their defense partnership “to a new level” and that Japan and Vietnam plan to deepen defense ties through multinational joint exercises and other means. Details about the transfer of specific equipment, including naval vessels, will be worked out in subsequent talks, the ministry said.

Kishi’s meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart, Phan Van Giang, in Hanoi coincided with a two-day visit to the Vietnamese capital by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. He wrapped up his visit by saying China plans to donate 3 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine to Vietnam.

The agreement comes two weeks after the U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris travelled to Vietnam to strengthen ties with the Southeast Asian nation. During the tour, Harris urged countries to stand up against “bullying” by China in the South China Sea.


Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/japan-vietnam-sign-defense-transfer-deal-amid-china-79959351

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Nice to see a new addition to QUAD.

[GB_RN]

1. Oops!

Take That, Xi Jin Pingpong!

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

2. What do you mean by that?

I see two countries being alarmed by a large neighboring, not very friendly country with a two-million man military and taking steps.

[GB_RN]

4. And That's Exactly My Point

With the “Take that…”

[AZLD4Candidate]

5. My wife (Chinese national) and I both refer to him as "The Chinese Donald Trump"

If you see the propaganda that comes out of the PRC laced with coded language and xenophobia, you would see so many similarities:

Trump's Arab rants = Xi's African rants (the Chinese actively use the Mandarin n'bomb on the streets. I speak fluent Mandarin)
Trump's foreigner attacks = Xi's foreigner attacks (Foreigners are the cause of all problems in China)
Trump's warmongering = Xi's warmongering (Middle east v. Rocks with Japan and the South China Sea)
Trump's idiotic economic policies = Xi's even more economic policies (Vulture, crony capitalism）
Trump's public stupidity = Xi's private stupidity (things leak that he is dumber than a bag of doorknobs)
Trump's sociopathic narcissism = Xi's sociopathic narcissism (there is an app on XiJinPingIsm all CCP members MUST download)
Trump's use of RW media = Xi's use of all media

Both have a massive cult of personality and an army of internet trolls (In China, they are known as XiaoFenHong or WuMao. The list can go on, but I feel seven is enough.

[Dopers_Greed]

6. I've had some run-ins with WuMao on Reddit

They're easy to spot because of their English grammar

[AZLD4Candidate]

7. I've had the same on Facebook, Youtube, Reddit, and Twitter

What's weird is all four of those are BLOCKED in China.

So the censorship of the Great Firewall of China is only for those who don't drink the CCP's kool-aid. And if the are in China, they are using illegal VPN.

[yaesu]

3. Well that is an interesting pairing, nt

[rpannier]

9. Not really

Japan has been providing assistance to the Vietnamese since 2015
They both don't like and do not trust China

[dalton99a]

10. Japan occupied Vietnam during WWII

https://alphahistory.com/vietnamwar/japanese-occupation-of-vietnam/

Japanese occupation of Vietnam

...

The French surrender at home weakened the French colonial government in Vietnam, which had little option but to concede to Japanese demands. An agreement signed in June 1940 allowed Japanese troops to control the northern border between Vietnam and China. Another, signed in August, acknowledged Japan’s rights and interests in south-east Asia.

Between 1941 and 1945, French colonial authorities in Vietnam, led by Decoux, engaged in a policy of ‘co-existence’ with the Japanese. Decoux’s administration mirrored the Vichy regime that governed occupied France in collaboration with the Nazis.

The Japanese made some effort to win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese – a policy that differed from their brutality and oppression in China. Propaganda suggested the Japanese were in Vietnam as “liberators” rather than conquerors. Japanese language courses were organised in large cities. Japanese films, literature and poetry were translated into local languages. The Vietnamese people were told how Japan’s military supremacy was slowly driving the white imperialists out of Asia.

The Japanese presence in Vietnam also attracted foreign attention, particularly from the United States. In 1940, America was not yet at war with Japan but it was still working to restrict Japanese expansion through Asia. The US also wanted to protect its imports of raw rubber, half of which came from Vietnam. ...

[Crowman2009]

8. Usually Vietnam doesn't need much in the way of military technology to win a war.

Mainly Kalishnikovs, tunnels, SAMs, and interceptor aircraft.

[The Unmitigated Gall]

11. Great Britain has been showing up as well.

Deeply appreciated.

[roamer65]

12. Vietnam put an end to Pol Pot in Cambodia in 1979.

The Chinese hated that so much they started a border war with Vietnam.