WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden said Tuesday he would travel to Vietnam \u201cshortly\u201d as part of an effort to improve ties with Hanoi, as Washington seeks to counter China\u2019s influence in the region.
\n\u201cI\u2019m going to be going to Vietnam shortly because Vietnam wants to change our relationship and become a partner,\u201d Biden said during remarks in New Mexico.
\n\u201cWe find ourselves in a situation where all these changes around the world are taking place at a time we have an opportunity … to change the dynamic,\u201d he added.
\nThe United States and Vietnam have increasingly close trade links, while both share concern over China\u2019s growing strength in the region.
\nFriction has been increasing for years between Beijing and Southeast Asian nations, particularly Vietnam and the Philippines, over China\u2019s sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea.
\nWashington and Hanoi pledged in April to upgrade diplomatic ties when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stopped over on his way to a Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers\u2019 meeting in Japan.
\n\u201cWe think this is an auspicious time to elevate our existing partnership,\u201d Blinken told reporters during the visit with Vietnamese leaders.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve had for the last 10 years this comprehensive partnership that has created an incredibly strong foundation of cooperation across many different areas. As a result, we think this is a good moment to go even further.\u201d
\nBlinken also attended a ground-breaking opening for a new US embassy in Hanoi.
\nAnd in March, Biden spoke with the head of Vietnam\u2019s ruling Communist party, Nguyen Phu Trong.
\nWashington has, however, bristled over human rights concerns in Vietnam, with Blinken saying he continued \u201cto underscore how future progress on human rights is essential to unleashing the full potential of the Vietnamese people.\u201d
\nThe South China Sea, the longtime center of tensions between China and Vietnam, is seen as a powder keg, and many fear a miscalculation or accident could ignite a military conflict.
\nAnalysts say Hanoi may be more reluctant to elevate relations with Washington, wary of upsetting Beijing \u2014 an important economic partner \u2014 despite rival claims in the South China Sea.
\nThe United States has no territorial claim over the waters, but has persisted in conducting its own patrols there, angering Beijing.
\nWashington says this is to ensure what it terms \u201cfreedom of navigation\u201d in the sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually.
\nThe United States has also sought to improve relations with China in recent months, with Blinken visiting in June after a previous trip was canceled when an alleged Chinese spy balloon was shot down by a US warplane after traversing the country earlier this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden said Tuesday he would travel to Vietnam \u201cshortly\u201d as part of an effort to improve ties with Hanoi, as Washington seeks to counter China\u2019s influence in the region. \u201cI\u2019m going to be going to Vietnam shortly because Vietnam wants to change our relationship and become a partner,\u201d Biden said during […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":348108,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-348103","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n