President Joe Biden touted a “strategic partnership” with the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Sunday in an effort to counter China.
The agreement between the United States and the CPV will allow Vietnam to increase its production of artificial intelligence as well as semiconductors, Politico reported ahead of the signed deal. The new partnership comes after Biden met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at Camp David in August to address the rising tension between the countries, North Korea and China. (RELATED: ‘That Is Crap’: Biden, Xi Had Heated Argument Over Alleged Biolabs In Ukraine, Book Says)
“Vietnam is not aligning with the U.S. against China. … They’re happy to improve relations with the U.S., but it doesn’t mean they’re moving against China — they’re going to continue to calibrate very carefully,” Scot Marciel, a former principal deputy assistant secretary for East Asia and the Pacific at the State Department, told Politico.
Biden visited Hanoi, Vietnam on Sunday, meeting with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to discuss how the two countries can strengthen their relations, according to a statement from the White House. The countries planned to discuss how to expand “people-to-people ties through education exchanges and workforce development programs” as well as how to combat climate change.
An employee installs a t-shirt with an image of photo of US President Joe Biden (C) next to t-shirts showing communist symbols and a portrait Vietnamese late President Ho Chi Minh (L) in a souvenir shop in Hanoi on September 6, 2023, ahead of US President’s visit to Hanoi on September 10. (Photo by NHAC NGUYEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Relations between the U.S. and Vietnam have continued to improve since 1995 when the two countries established diplomatic relations, Politico reported. Former President Barack Obama signed a partnership deal with Vietnam in 2013 which aimed to increase assistance for Vietnam’s coast guard and increase cooperation on anti-transnational crime operations.
Vietnam continues to be friendly with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), signing a partnership to increase bilateral relations with the country in 1998, according to Politico. Vietnam also signed a similar partnership with Russia more than a decade ago.
“It’s important to make clear that this is more than words,” Jon Finer, deputy national security advisor, told reporters on Sunday. “In a system like Vietnam’s, it’s a signal to their entire government, to their entire bureaucracy, about the depth of cooperation and alignment with another country that is possible.”