Vietnam ‘Has No Interest’ in Joining ‘US-Orchestrated’ Anti-China Coalition
As part of an effort to woo Vietnam to serve its geopolitical interests, US President Joe Biden is arriving in Hanoi on Sunday, nurturing hopes of signing a “comprehensive strategic partnership agreement” with the dynamically developing Southeast Asian nation. | Washington is eyeing “swaying Vietnam to its side,” for it believes the US can use Hanoi as “a counterbalance to China’s influence in South East Asia,” Professor Anna Malindog-Uy, vice president of the Manila-based think tank Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute (ACPh), told Sputnik. However, there is no indication that Vietnam has any interest in joining the “US-orchestrated” coalition against China, consisting of Washington’s allies, Anna Malindog-Uy added. [...] Vietnam is vital to US foreign policy for several political, economic, and geopolitical reasons, the professor underscored. Firstly, the “strategic geographical location” of Vietnam in Southeast Asia (SEA) is important to the US. Vietnam boasts “close contiguity and nearness to major global shipping lines like the South China Sea (SCS), and it has a border with China,” Anna Malindog-Uy stressed.
■ A new chapter in the Vietnam-US relationship (Vietnam Investment Review) [...] With this latest engagement, the two countries have upgraded their relationship from a comprehensive partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership. This is the highest tier of diplomatic relations, which Vietnam enjoys with only four other countries – China, South Korea, India, and Russia. The new partnership clears the way for greater economic cooperation, with a focus on innovation, technology, and investment.