Defence, energy, development in focus in key India-Vietnam summit on Monday

The two nations will discuss bilateral, regional and global issues and are expected to issue a “joint vision” to guide the development of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership

India and Vietnam are expected to sign agreements in defence, energy and development projects and take forward an arrangement to supply high-speed patrol vessels to the Southeast Asian nation during a virtual summit on Monday.

The virtual meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, will cap a string of high-level exchanges between the two sides this year.(PTI)

The virtual meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, will cap a string of high-level exchanges between the two sides this year.

The meeting is being held at a time when countries are grappling with China’s aggressive actions in the region. India is locked in a military standoff with China in Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) while Vietnam has major differences over Chinese claims within its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.

The two leaders will discuss bilateral, regional and global issues and are expected to issue a “joint vision” to guide the development of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, people familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity.

“A number of agreements and announcements are likely, covering areas such as defence, energy, development partnership and healthcare,” one of the people cited above said.

The implementation of India’s $100-million defence line of credit for 12 high speed patrol boats for Vietnam will be further progressed, and new opportunities in renewable energy cooperation will be explored, the person said.

The patrol boats being built for the Vietnam Border Guard are meant to enhance coastal security and prevent illegal activities. Five vessels are being built at Larsen & Toubro’s shipyard in Chennai, and the rest will be made at Hong Ha shipyard in the Vietnamese port city of Hai Phong under the Indian firm’s supervision.

India has offered another defence line of credit of $500 million to Vietnam.

The two countries upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership four years ago. India is one of the few countries with which Vietnam has such a partnership.

There were several high-level visits from the Vietnamese side despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the country’s vice president travelled to India in February. The two prime ministers met online during the Asean-India Summit last month.

The bilateral summit on Monday is also expected to focus on India’s development and capacity building assistance through initiatives such as the quick impact projects, Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) initiatives, projects in water resource management in Vietnam’s Mekong delta, digital connectivity and heritage conservation.

The two sides will exchange views on the global pandemic and their respective strategies to deal with Covid-19 and post-pandemic economic recovery. “The existing economic and trade linkages between the two sides provide a useful platform to explore new and resilient supply chains,” the person cited above said.

Both countries also have stakes in the Indo-Pacific region and significant maritime interests, and the summit will enable them to look at potential cooperation on India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative and Asean’s Indo-Pacific outlook.

India and Vietnam will also concurrently serve as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council from 2021, and this opens up new opportunities for cooperation and coordination on regional and international issues, the people said.