India and Vietnam Strengthen Strategic Ties with New Action Plan

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 1st August. India and Vietnam solidified their strategic partnership on Thursday with the adoption of a new action plan, aimed at expanding their comprehensive strategic cooperation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized that both nations will work towards a free and rules-based Indo-Pacific, underscoring India’s support for development over expansionism.

During a joint media statement with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Modi highlighted the agreement on a USD 300 million credit line for Vietnam, intended to enhance the Southeast Asian country’s maritime security. Chinh, who arrived in Delhi on Tuesday night for a three-day visit, is focused on deepening the strategic ties between the two nations.

Modi noted that the new action plan will further bolster their strategic partnership, which has evolved into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership over the past decade. The plan includes intensified cooperation on counter-terrorism and cyber security.

“We have adopted a new plan of action to strengthen our comprehensive strategic cooperation,” Modi stated, emphasizing that both countries are committed to a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. He reaffirmed Vietnam’s importance in India’s Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific vision, and reiterated India’s stance of supporting development over expansionism, amid rising global concerns about China’s expansionist activities in the region.

The discussions and new agreements reflect the deepening and broadening of India-Vietnam relations, which have seen significant growth and transformation in the last ten years.