Indonesia and Australia have signed a defence agreement, pledging closer cooperation to counter security threats in the Asia-Pacific region.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s upcoming official visit to Vietnam will offer a good opportunity for the two countries to further beef up their bilateral relations, an expert from the German Asia-Pacific Business Association (OAV) has said.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Spain Hoang Xuan Hai has called for closer cooperation among the countries to effectively respond to unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and successfully control the disease.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on April 14 emphasised strengthening the awareness of a community with a shared future for humanity and closer cooperation to clinch an early victory against COVID-19 in East Asia, according to China's Xinhua News Agency.

Vietnam and Japan should boost closer cooperation within their extensive strategic partnership framework for peace and prosperity in Asia, said former Japanese Defence Minister Satoshi Morimoto.