TOKYO: Two vessels belonging to Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force (MSDF) made a port call Tuesday at Vietnam’s strategic point of Cam Ranh Bay facing the South China Sea. The call by the two guided-missile destroyers, Ariake and Setogiri, was the first to be made by any MSDF vessel, according to the Japanese embassy in Hanoi.
Cam Ranh Bay is relatively close to the Paracel and Spratly island chains. Vietnam, one of several states involved in disputes over reefs and islands in the South China Sea, is at odds with China over claims to those island chains.
Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani told a press conference in Tokyo that he expects bilateral defence cooperation with Vietnam to advance further. He also said Japan will work together with the United States and other countries to reinforce relations with countries around the South China Sea and continue efforts towards regional peace and stability.
In Beijing, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman told a regular press briefing that it is “inevitable to oppose” the port call if it is not normal cooperation between the two countries and targets China. During the Cold War, Cam Ranh Bay was home to a major Soviet naval base. It has been controlled by the Vietnamese navy since the Russians withdrew in 2002, strictly restricting foreign vessels’ port calls.
Last November, Nakatani and his then Vietnamese counterpart Phung Quang Thanh agreed on the Japanese vessels’ port call at Cam Ranh Bay, with China’s suspected militarisation of the South China Sea in mind. The plan was realised after an international port that can accept foreign vessels was opened there in March.
With the two destroyers, the MSDF will conduct joint drills with the Vietnamese navy during the port call, which is part of training for the MSDF’s officer candidates. China claims almost the entire South China Sea and has competing territorial claims with Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.
