US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Vietnam on Friday to emphasize the increasingly close ties with the communist country. The trip comes amid tensions with China over Taiwan.
Blinken, who is making a stopover in Hanoi on his way to the meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Japan, is said to have talks with Vietnamese leaders on Saturday to open the way to possible diplomatic upscaling with the country.
Relations between the United States and Vietnam have become stronger in recent years, including on a military and economic level. The two countries have largely reconciled, despite the scars of war
In the Vietnamese capital, Blinken will discuss “our shared vision” of a region around the Indian and Pacific Oceans “that is prosperous, peaceful and resilient”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
“Strategic Partnership”
US President Joe Biden had a phone call with ruling Communist Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong last month to lift relations into a “strategic” partnership. Analysts say Hanoi may hold back for fear of offending Beijing, a key economic partner, despite the two countries’ rival claims in the South China Sea.
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