Japan and Vietnam leaders agree to cooperate on critical minerals amid Middle East situation
Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and Vietnamese Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng agreed to cooperate on securing critical minerals like crude oil and rare earths, responding to the Middle East situation. They prioritized economic security and science and technology, exchanging memoranda on AI, energy, space, communications, and agriculture.
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- 📰 Published: May 2, 2026 at 16:46
- 🔍 Collected: May 2, 2026 at 17:01 (15 min after Published)
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Hsin-yi Yang, Hanoi, 2nd) Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae today held a 50-minute meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. The two sides agreed to cooperate on securing critical minerals such as crude oil and rare earths in response to the situation in the Middle East.
Nikkei reported that Takaichi stated in the meeting, "Through cooperation between the two countries, the region will become stronger and richer, aiming to realize and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific."
Lê Minh Hưng responded, "We value Japan as a top-tier strategic partner and an honest and trustworthy friend."
The two leaders also designated economic security and science and technology as priority cooperation areas and exchanged memoranda related to space, telecommunications, and agriculture, with energy, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence (AI) included.
They also reached a consensus on assisting Vietnam's Nghi Son Refinery in the northern part of the country through Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI). This will be the first assistance case under the energy procurement financial support framework, totaling approximately US$10 billion, announced by Takaichi on April 15.
In addition, Japan and Vietnam also plan to implement 15 energy-related cooperation items within the "Asia Zero Emission Community" (AZEC) as soon as possible. AZEC is a cooperation framework advocated by former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in 2022, aiming to promote decarbonization with like-minded Asian countries.
The meeting also agreed for both public and private sectors of the two countries to initiate cooperation on strengthening supply chains. According to data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) in 2025, Vietnam's rare earth reserves rank sixth globally. (Editor: Yang Wei-jing) 1150502
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Hsin-yi Yang, Hanoi, 2nd) Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae today held a 50-minute meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. The two sides agreed to cooperate on securing critical minerals such as crude oil and rare earths in response to the situation in the Middle East.
Nikkei reported that Takaichi stated in the meeting, "Through cooperation between the two countries, the region will become stronger and richer, aiming to realize and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific."
Lê Minh Hưng responded, "We value Japan as a top-tier strategic partner and an honest and trustworthy friend."
The two leaders also designated economic security and science and technology as priority cooperation areas and exchanged memoranda related to space, telecommunications, and agriculture, with energy, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence (AI) included.
They also reached a consensus on assisting Vietnam's Nghi Son Refinery in the northern part of the country through Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI). This will be the first assistance case under the energy procurement financial support framework, totaling approximately US$10 billion, announced by Takaichi on April 15.
In addition, Japan and Vietnam also plan to implement 15 energy-related cooperation items within the "Asia Zero Emission Community" (AZEC) as soon as possible. AZEC is a cooperation framework advocated by former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in 2022, aiming to promote decarbonization with like-minded Asian countries.
The meeting also agreed for both public and private sectors of the two countries to initiate cooperation on strengthening supply chains. According to data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) in 2025, Vietnam's rare earth reserves rank sixth globally. (Editor: Yang Wei-jing) 1150502
Stand with the facts, your every sponsorship is the power to protect press freedom.
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The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.