Vietnam, Myanmar pledge deeper defense ties, bar hostile use of territory

Vietnam and Myanmar agreed to deepen defense and security cooperation during Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to Hanoi. The countries will expand military training and young-officer exchanges, search-and-rescue and disaster-response efforts, and information sharing to combat transnational crime, including drug and human trafficking, high-tech crime and online fraud. Their leaders also pledged that neither country would allow its territory to be used against the other and agreed to strengthen political and regional coordination through ASEAN and Mekong frameworks. The two sides plan to expand economic cooperation in agriculture, telecommunications, technology, energy, digital transformation and infrastructure, while reaffirming support for peace, stability and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.