President Joe Biden on Sunday opened a visit to a Vietnam that wants to dramatically ramp up trade with the United States, a sign of how competition with China is reshaping relationships across Asia.
The president has made it a point of pride that Vietnam is elevating the United States to the status of being a comprehensive strategic partner. Other countries that Vietnam has extended this designation to include China and Russia. Giving the U.S. the same status suggests that Vietnam wants to hedge its friendships as U.S. and European companies look for alternatives to Chinese factories.
Biden, who arrived in Hanoi on Sunday afternoon, said last month at a fundraiser in Salt Lake City that Vietnam doesn’t want a defense alliance with the U.S., “but they want relationships because they want China to know that they’re not alone” and can choose its own partners. The president decided to tack a visit to Vietnam on to his trip to India for the Group of 20 summit that wrapped up Sunday.
In geopolitics, many things can and do change.
One thing that never does is Vietnam’s feelings towards China. Which in many ways is more powerful than it ever was before, in spite of its current troubles. Our troubles with Vietnam lasted less than a decade. Their troubles with China go back to 111 BC
So they are going to be cutting deals with whoever they can to make sure China never gets them under its weighty thumb again. Might as well be the US
Biden’s pivot to the Pacific is already a great success
I recall the saying the Viet Nam fought the US for 10 years, France for 100 years and china for 1,000 years.
Makes sense they’d make up with us first
It’s kinda interesting how soon Vietnam started to warm up to US, the process started already in the 80s.
Well they won, so that helps.
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