The United States expects to elevate its diplomatic relations with former foe Vietnam to the top level as President Joe Biden travels to Hanoi in a week, in a move that may irk China and with unclear business implications.
Fearful of the potential reaction from its much larger neighbour, Vietnam had initially expressed caution about the upgrade. That led the Biden administration to multiply efforts to persuade the southeast Asian nation, including through multiple visits of high-ranking members of the U.S. government in recent months.
The unprecedented push has led Washington to expect to be elevated to the top tier of Vietnam’s diplomatic ranking, together with China and Russia, from two notches below now.
Oh no! Wait, China will still be *checks notes* the U.S.'s number three trading partner and the U.S. will still be *checks notes* China’s number one trading partner. Because Vietnam is still only in 10th place for the U.S.
We’re like that toxic abusive couple that everyone hates, but we stay together because we have really good economic sex.🤷🏾♂️