The United States and Vietnam sign a historic partnership, with an eye on China

The president of USA, Joe Bidenand the highest Vietnamese authority, Nguyen Phu Trongsigned an agreement this Sunday that elevates the bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership, which represents further progress in the US plan to counteract the influence of China.

“This new status will be a force for prosperity and security in the region, one of the most important regions in the world.“Biden announced at a press conference in Hanoi after meeting with Nguyen Phu, who also serves as Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

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Biden framed this strengthening of relations with Vietnam in the network of alliances that he has been weaving since he arrived in office. White House in January 2021, such as the revitalization of the defense alliance of the Quad and the creation of the tripartite pact Aukus (English acronym for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States).

Boost semiconductor production

In practice, the agreement seeks to boost semiconductor production in Vietnamwhich has already established itself as a prominent regional manufacturing center and which some American companies, such as Intel, see as an alternative production destination to China.

Biden believes that microprocessor manufacturing is a key issue for the economy and security of USAespecially given China’s vast market dominance and the possibility that supply chains could be disrupted again, as was the case during the pandemic.

Furthermore, the agreement consolidates a rapprochement that had been brewing for years and roots it within the Vietnamese system.

As explained this Sunday Jon Finerone of Biden’s foreign policy advisors, today’s agreement “goes beyond words” and, in a system like the Vietnamese, “It is a signal to your entire Government and your entire bureaucracy about the depth of cooperation and alignment” with Washington.

Vietnam’s “bamboo diplomacy”

The signature does not mean that Hanoi will become an unbreakable ally of Washington, since Vietnam maintains a foreign policy of balance between the great powers known as “bamboo diplomacy”, which illustrates how the Asian country swings to one side or the other depending on the circumstances.

In fact, Vietnam has had an agreement since 1988 to “comprehensive cooperative strategic partnership” with China and in 2001 reached a similar pact with Russia.

After the signing, Trong emphasized that “mutual understanding, understanding of each other’s circumstances, respect for legitimate interests and non-interference in internal affairs are always of great importance”, according to the official Vietnamese press.

Relations between Vietnam and the United States have historically been more difficult, although the two countries normalized diplomatic relations in 1994, leaving behind the Vietnam War (1955-1975), which faced the communist government of Northern Vietnamsupported by the Soviet Unionwith the South Vietnamese regime, supported by the United States.

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Furthermore, in 2013, with Barack Obama as president of USAboth countries signed a comprehensive partnership agreement, which boosted cooperation in areas such as public health and the fight against transactional crime.

This new chapter in relations between the United States and Vietnam, which have become strategic partners, occurs at a time when both countries are experiencing growing tensions with China.

Specifically, Biden believes that China is the United States’ biggest competitor, while Vietnam disputes with China the sovereignty of two archipelagos in the South China Seawhich sometimes causes incidents between Vietnamese fishing boats and Chinese patrol boats.

Source: Elcomercio

jack

I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.