What if Vietnam becomes the new strategic partner of the United States? In any case, Joe Biden believes in it. “I will be going to Vietnam soon, because Vietnam wants to change our relationship and become a partner,” said the US president during a speech in the state of New Mexico.
Washington and Hanoi have tightened trade ties lately, both worried about China’s growing influence in the region. In April, during a stopover in Vietnam on his way to the G7 summit in Japan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken pleaded for a strengthening of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Hanoi in a delicate situation
At the center of concerns: the South China Sea. Perceived as a powder keg, this sea is coveted by several countries, including China and Vietnam, which compete for its waters, islets and reefs. Analysts believe that Hanoi could still be reluctant to strengthen its ties with Washington, Beijing being an important economic partner.
The United States has no claims in the South China Sea, but patrols there regularly, which irritates Beijing. According to Washington, it is a question of ensuring “freedom of navigation” in this sea where billions of billions of dollars of goods transit each year.
In a bid to warm relations with Beijing, Antony Blinken traveled to China last June, in a visit that was postponed after an alleged ‘spy balloon’ flying over US territory was shot down by the military. .