Japan, Vietnam leaders oppose China's maritime actions in phone talks

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed their opposition to China's growing maritime assertiveness during phone talks Monday, the first between the two leaders since Chinh was elected last month.In their roughly 30-minute call, the two also voiced grave concerns regarding China's implementation of a new law in February that allows its coast guard to use weapons against ships it views as intruding into its territory."We want to strengthen ties (between Japan and Vietnam) in order to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific," Suga said, accord…READ FULL ARTICLE