Rajnath Singh on Monday started an official visit to Vietnam and South Korea, which is set to last for four days, to enhance cooperation in the fields of defence and strategy with the two Asian countries.
The Indian defence minister said the visit would cover strengthening defence industrial cooperation, boosting maritime security cooperation and fostering peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region before he leaves for Hanoi. He highlighted the importance of enhancing mutual cooperation in areas like military production, in technology transfer and coordination in regional security.
Singh’s Vietnam visit follows Indian President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Vietnam in recent months, which led to the upgrading of the bilateral relationship between both countries to an “enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership”.
Singh will meet with Vietnam’s Defence Minister Phan Van Giang for bilateral talks in Hanoi. Topics to be discussed include defence manufacturing, military hardware development and cooperation in maritime security.
The two sides will also have discussions on the developments in the South China Sea, where China has been beefing up its military presence and its actions have been a matter of concern for some South China Sea States, such as Vietnam and the Philippines.
After visiting Vietnam, Singh will visit South Korea for a three-day visit to further boost defence and strategic relations with the Seoul. India wants to expand cooperation with South Korea in advanced defence technologies, shipbuilding and in regional security issues, officials said.
India has been actively developing partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region as part of its effort to make the region a free, open and rules-based order.