On Wednesday, India and Vietnam signed a vision document to expand the scope and scale of bilateral defence cooperation, following “fruitful” talks between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Vietnamese Defence Minister General Phan Van Giang. The defence minister arrived in Vietnam on Tuesday for a three-day visit.

Officials said that the joint vision document provides for a massive expansion of defence relations in different areas by 2030. “After fruitful deliberations, we signed the Joint India-Vietnam Defence Partnership 2030 Vision Statement, which will significantly expand the scope and scale of our defence cooperation.”

The signing of the vision document to expand bilateral defence and security ties comes when China is flexing its muscles in the region. The two countries are increasingly aligned on maritime security issues.

Singh also plans to meet Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. Vietnam, a key member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has a territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea.

India has oil exploration projects in Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea. India and Vietnam have been strengthening maritime security cooperation and safeguarding common interests in recent years.

In July 2007, the relationship between the two countries was upgraded to a “strategic partnership” during Vietnam’s then-Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to India. During Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Vietnam in 2016, the relationship between the two countries was further upgraded to a China-US relationship. “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”. Vietnam has become an important partner in India’s look east policy and Indo-Pacific vision.