HANOI: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday arrived in Vietnam to meet with top Vietnamese leaders and discuss the potential for a diplomatic upgrade between the two countries. Blinken’s visit comes as tensions between the US and China over Taiwan continue to simmer.
The US and Vietnam have increasingly close trade links, and both countries share concerns over China’s growing strength in the region.
Blinken hopes to build on a recent phone call between US President Joe Biden and Nguyen Phu Trong, the head of Vietnam’s ruling Communist party, with the goal of elevating relations to a “strategic” partnership.
Analysts suggest that Hanoi may be more hesitant to upgrade ties with the US, as they are wary of upsetting Beijing, their northern neighbour and another key economic partner.
While both Vietnam and China have rival claims in the South China Sea, the government of Vietnam understands that there is no way they can win a military fight, according to Khang Vu, an International Security PhD candidate at Boston College.
China completed military drills around Taiwan earlier this week in its latest show of force against the self-governing democracy. This was seen as a retaliation against Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with lawmakers in the US.
US-Vietnam ties amid China’s growing influence
Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also held a rare joint dialogue with their Philippine counterparts in Washington this week, following a deal for the United States forces to use an increasing number of bases in the Philippines, including one base near Taiwan.
During his visit to Vietnam, Blinken will participate in a groundbreaking ceremony for a newly established US embassy in Hanoi and discuss support for Vietnam’s clean energy transition, in addition to meetings with Trong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Daniel Kritenbrink, the US top diplomat for East Asia and former ambassador to Hanoi, recently said that Washington and Hanoi were “almost completely aligned on the kind of Indo-Pacific we want to see… where large countries don’t bully small countries.”
Blinken’s visit to Vietnam marks his first as Secretary of State, following a previous visit to the country by Vice President Kamala Harris.
