Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a virtual summit with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Monday. While the scheduled meeting will cap off a series of high-level exchanges between the two sides this year, it will take place at a time when both countries are grappling with China’s aggressive actions in the region.
Here is everything you need to know about the India-Vietnam virtual summit:
1. According to the official press release, the two leaders will exchange views on wide-ranging bilateral, regional and global issues and provide guidance for the future development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between India and Vietnam during the summit.
2. There are likely to be several agreements or announcements that will cover areas such as defense, energy, development partnerships, and health.
3. The two leaders will also discuss the implementation of India’s $ 100 million defense credit line for 12 high-speed guard boats for Vietnam. New opportunities in renewable energy cooperation will also be explored.
4. The bilateral summit will also focus on India’s development assistance and capacity building through initiatives such as Quick Impact Projects, India Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) initiatives, water resources management in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, digital connectivity and heritage conservation.
4. In the midst of the pandemic, the two leaders will also take stock of the regional and global landscape and exchange views on their respective strategies to deal with the deadly virus.
5. This year, the Vice President of Vietnam, Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh, also came to India in February on an official visit. Both prime ministers even had a phone conversation in April to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic. Additionally, the two leaders met virtually during the 17th ASEAN-India Summit last month.
6. In 2016, after a decade of being strategic partners, India and Vietnam formally upgraded their relations to a “comprehensive strategic partnership”. India is one of the few countries with which Vietnam has such an association.
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