India to Modernize Vietnam’s Defense Forces

India has committed to helping modernize Vietnam’s security forces, after talks between the countries’ prime ministers, Narendra Modi and Nguyen Tan Dung. The agreement gives India access to oil exploration in two blocks of the South China Sea and provides $100 million line of credit to Vietnam for defense purchases, reports Suhasini Haidar for the Hindu. The two blocks allotted for Indian exploration are not under dispute with China. Rejecting neighboring countries’ claims offshore sections of the South China Sea, as allowed by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, China insists no outside parties should be involved in settling the disputes. Vietnam has expressed an intention to purchase maritime patrol vessels, and Haidar concludes, “With the decision to step up supplying vessels and training the Vietnamese navy, Mr. Modi seems to be backing the tough words with conscious action.” – YaleGlobal