VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI VIETNAM JAPAN UNIVERSITY LAM THI GIANG VIETNAM – JAPAN SECURITY COOPERATION SINCE 2014 FACING THE CHINA FACTOR MASTER THESIS 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI VIETNAM JAPAN UNIVERSITY LAM THI GIANG VIETNAM – JAPAN SECURITY COOPERATION SINCE 2014 FACING THE CHINA FACTOR MAJOR: MASTER OF AREA STUDIES CODE: 8310604.01QTD RESEARCH SUPERVISOR: Professor Nguyen Thai Yen Huong Hanoi, 2020 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENT It is my great pleasure to become a third intake student of the Vietnam Japan University, where I have had great opportunities to work with enthusiastic and excellent students from different backgrounds and programs. Thanks to these experiences in Vietnam Japan University, I have gained a deeper understanding of my own major as well as general knowledge of sustainability science. At the outset, I would like to express my sincere thanks to my supervisor Prof. Nguyen Thai Yen Huong from Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam for her teaching, enthusiasms, and support from the beginning to the finishing of my master thesis.
My professional knowledge has been increased thanks to her valuable guidance, advice, and spiritual support. My honest appreciation goes to all lecturers of Master of Area Programs of Vietnam Japan University, particularly, Prof. Vu Minh Giang, Prof. Junichi Iwatsuki, Prof.
Shiraishi Masaya, Prof. Hirohide Kurihara for their helpful instructions and assistance throughout the course from the year 2018 – 2020. I would like to extend my deep gratitude to Dr. Tomotaka Shoji from Japan‘s National Institute for Defense Studies, Prof.
Shin Kawashima of the University of Tokyo, and Dr. Nguyen Hoang Thanh Danh of Waseda University for their acceptance for my interviews which have brought in-depth analysis on the topic. Last but not least, it will be missing unless mentioning on the support of my family and my colleagues from Cooperation and Development Department, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. This thesis could not have been done without their continuous support and encouragement.
i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. Significance of the research .9 CHAPTER 1: AN OVERVIEW OF VIETNAM – JAPAN RELATIONS.1 The history of Vietnam – Japan relations .2 Contemporary Vietnam – Japan relations .19 CHAPTER 2: FACTORS AFFACTING VIETNAM – JAPAN RELATIONS .1 Cooperation for development .2 Regional security environment .3 Enhancing national position .1 Rising threats from China‘s rise.2 Asia‘s pivot strategy of the United States of America .34 CHAPTER 3: IMPACTS OF THE CHINA FACTOR ON VIETNAM - JAPAN SECURITY COOPERATION.1 Enhancement in bilateral security cooperation .1 High level political exchanges and defense dialogues .2 Diplomatic support and assistance to capacity building .2 Enhancement in security cooperation in the regional framework .1 ASEAN Defense Ministers‘ Meeting plus (ADMM-Plus) .2 ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) .3 Recommendations for Vietnam’s strategy .44 ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.1 Constraints in security cooperation with Japan .2 Counter-tactics recommendation .52 iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Asians‘ views of each other. Fairly positive views of Japan‘s leader.
China‘s growing military power in the view of Asia Pacific countries. Asia‘s concern about territorial disputes with China. Increasing worries about China‘s growing military in many nations.31 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABBREVIATIONS ADMM-Plus: ASEAN Defense Military Minister – Plus ADSOM: ADMM-Plus senior officials meeting ARF: Asian Regional Forum ASEAN: Association of Southeast Asian Nations BRI: Belt and Road Initiative COC: Code of Conduct in the South China Sea CPTPP: Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership DOC: Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea EEZ: Exclusive Economic Zone EWGs: ADMM- Plus Experts‘ Working Groups ODA: Official Development Assistance PPP: Public - private partnership US: United States of America USSR: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics TPP: Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement WTO: World Trade Organization v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Background On the occasion of the visit to Japan from March 16th to 19th in 2014, H.
Truong Tan Sang, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and H. Abe Shinzo, Prime Minister of Japan decided to upgrade the two-country relations from ―strategic partnership‖ to ―extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia.‖ 1 This clearly reflected the mutual political trust and deep development in the bilateral cooperation. Tokyo became Hanoi‘s first extensive strategic partner with seven main areas of cooperation which not only serve for the two sides‘ national interests but also for ―peace and prosperity in Asia‖ as written in their joint declaration. The year of 2013 also remarked a landmark in the Vietnam - Japan relations with the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
Unlike complicated relations of neighboring countries in the region such as between Japan and China, or between Japan and Korea, the Vietnam – Japan relations has been extended into new height. The former Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung upon welcoming Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in his first overseas visit to Vietnam in 2013 declared that the Party and Government of Vietnam showed strong determination in intensifying and consolidating the cooperative relationship with Japan. Prime Minister Nguyen also added that the bilateral tie is not only the ―consistent guideline and top priority of the foreign policy but also the strategic choice‖ 2 of Vietnam. It can be explained that the Vietnamese people share a common consensus of opinion on the problem-free relationship with Japan while a closer move to China or the United States can bring domestic arguments such as 1 Japan - Viet Nam Joint Statement on the Establishment of the Extensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia, available at https://www.pdf accessed on April 15, 2019.
2 Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam – Japan: sustainably strategic partners, available at https://vov.vn/vov-binh- luan/viet-namnhat-ban-doi-tac-chien-luoc-tin-cay-ben-vung-296521.vov accessed on April 15, 2019. 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com territorial disputes with China or ideological differences with the United States. On the Japanese side, the extensive cooperation with Vietnam is in accordance with its looking south policy, which carries out the stronger engagement with ASEAN – South East Asia countries. The two – country relations flourish in terms of trade and investment as Japan is now the Vietnam‘s fourth biggest trading partner with US$ 37.8 billion after China, South Korea, and the United States 3.
Hanoi and Tokyo are actively cooperating in ratifying the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which surely further uplifts bilateral economic ties in the near future. Vietnam with its focal importance in South East Asia and the large, young population of over 94 million is becoming more and more attractive for Japanese investors. As of April 2019, over 3200 Japanese companies have established their bases in Vietnam4. In return, Hanoi sees Tokyo as a strategic resource for capital and technology.
In 2013, the Vietnamese government ratified the country‘s industrialization strategy within the framework of Vietnam – Japan cooperation through 2020 with a vision toward 2030 with six priority industries including electronics, agricultural machinery, agricultural fishery product processing, shipbuilding, environment and energy saving and automobiles and auto parts manufacturing5. Due to considerable changes in the regional geo-strategic landscape in recent years, the strategic cooperation has reached a new level of importance for the regional and international community. It could be clearly shown in the serious incident occurred in the summer of 2014 when the Haiyang Shiyou 981, a Chinese oil rig was sent to the Vietnamese territorial waters. As a new emerging power, 3 Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam‘s biggest trading partners, available at https://english.vn/economy/vietnams-10-biggest-trading-partners-390918.vov#p4 , accessed on January 21th 2019.
4 Japan times, Japan‘s commitment to Vietnam strengthens the country‘s ability to attract global investment, available at https://www.jp/country-report/2019/04/26/vietnam-report-2019/japans- commitment-vietnam-strengthens-countrys-ability-attract-global-investment/#.XZfnKC2B0fE accessed on January 22nd 2019. 5 Decision No 1043/ QĐ-TTg on Vietnam‘s industrialization strategy within the framework of Vietnam – Japan cooperation through 2020 with a vision toward 2030, dated on July 1st 2013. 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com China has gradually increased its assertiveness in the region even though they have trumpeted all over the world about their peaceful rise with a promise that Beijing will be a ―peaceful, pleasant, and civilized lion‖ (Xi Jin Ping, on his visit to France in March 2014)6 as an answer to the concern of Napoleon in 1816 that ―Quand la Chine s‘éveillera, le monde entier tremblera‖ (When China wakes up, the world will tremble). In contrast to their declaration, the China‘s activities in the Vietnamese waters starting from May 1st to July 16th, 2014 has shown a different picture.
Without any doubt, the Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea has increased the concerns about regional conflict. At the same time, the China‘s pressure has brought Vietnam and Japan closer in term of security cooperation with the aim of counterbalancing China‘s hegemony in Asia Pacific region. The two countries have closely worked in the field of security as their own bilateral cooperation, as well as under the regional framework of Asian Regional Forum (ARF), ASEAN Defense Military Minister - Plus (ADMM-Plus), etc. The two countries promote both traditional and non - traditional security cooperation to adapt with constant changes, volatility, and unpredictable events.
The traditional security cooperation helps Vietnam and Japan to protect their national interests which are directedly related to territorial sovereignty facing with unfriendly hegemony from the giant neighbor – China. While the world is facing with new threats, non – traditional security cooperation contributes to protect human beings, living environment, as well as economy and culture. Generally, due to shifts in Asian strategic order, each country with its own national interests is adapting its strategies flexibly to avoid being disoriented in the chess board of big countries. It is of utmost importance for Vietnam and Japan to accelerate their diversified cooperation for the mutual benefits and more broadly for the regional peace and stability.
6 Global Voice, ‗Sleeping lion‘ China awakened says President Xi Jinping, available at https://globalvoices.org/2014/03/29/sleeping-lion-china-awakened-says-president-xi-jinping/ accessed on February 19th 2019. 3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Significance of the research In the present regional and international context, China has emerged as a big player, which threatens to change the political order. To China, for thousand years Vietnam is always seen as a geopolitical area in which China never wants to lose its influences.
For Japan, with the aim of containing China in the region and becoming a regional super power, it needs Vietnam as a ―political alliance‖. The South China Sea is crucial to Japan as one of its main sea lanes connecting Japan with Europe and Middle East. In case of any possible conflict in the region, or if China can examine its power in this area, Japan would be put in a dangerous situation. For Vietnam, a developing country on the way of industrialization and modernization, it is necessary to balance the relations with big players to ensure safe environment for its nation building process.
Additionally, due to the competition for power of big nations in the region, it is required for Vietnam to be flexible and sensible to protect its national interests. Therefore, analyzing the view points from Vietnam, Japan, and China and examine this triangle relations is of its great significance. The thesis aims at evaluating the Vietnam – Japan relations with the influence of the China factor in the realm of politics, and suggests the prospect in developing the two countries‘ security relations. The previous studies mainly focused on the Japan – Vietnam relations while this thesis will deal with critical moves and incidents from the Chinese side and examine their impacts on the two countries‘ relations.
The research will find out the impacts of the China factors on the Vietnam – Japan security relations since 2014. Hence, the research can bring some suggestions for the study on contemporary politics in the Asian area.