Japan, Vietnam defense chiefs oppose bids to change status quo

The defense ministers of Japan and Vietnam agreed Tuesday to "strongly oppose" unilateral attempts to change the status quo in regional waters, in a veiled reference to China's maritime expansion.Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Giang discussed in Tokyo recent developments in the South and East China seas, confirming the two countries will work together to maintain the existing rules-based international order, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.Describing such cooperation between the Japanese and Vietnamese defense authorities as having entered a …READ FULL ARTICLE