. >> translator: with vietnam set to chair the upcoming asean summit next month, prime minister phucnd i confirmed our intent to work closely on regional issues including the south china sea and north korea. north korea's abductions of japanese nationals, especially for me, is the most important item on the agenda. prime minister phuc offered his support to help us resolve the issue. >> translator: i welcome prime minister suga yoshihide as a strategic partner for choosing vietnam for its first foreign visit, demonstrating the strron relatationship betweeeen our tw countries. we reaffirm our determination to deepen our strategic partnership and to strengthen relations across all fields in the new normal. >> the summit comes as china steadily increases maritime activities in the south china sea. beijing claims most of the area but vietnam and other countries have competing territorial claims. the issue is likely to be addressed in the association of southeast t asian n nations in a few eeks, h hosted by vvietna. suga and phuc also agreed to cooperate on coronavirus recovery measures.