VIENTIANE—Japan and Vietnam backed the country’s claim over disputed territories in the South China Sea in separate bilateral talks at the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit here Tuesday. The two nations expressed the support when President Rodrigo Duterte met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Vietnam President Trần Đại Quang. “The South China Sea issue. Vietnam has formally supported the Philippines in its arbitration case against China over its nine-dash claim over the South China Sea. The two leaders agreed on the necessity of continuing law enforcement cooperation and projects which will strengthen maritime capabilities of the Philippines.

Source: The Standard September 06, 2016 16:30 UTC