Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday expressed a desire to deepen their ties, ideally in coming months, as Washington seeks to solidify alliances to counter an increasingly assertive China.
In his first visit to the key Southeast Asian country as the top US diplomat, Blinken kicked off his trip with a meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. In brief remarks before their meeting, he said during the past decade there had been "extraordinary progress" in ties between the two countries.
"We have now hope to be able to take it to an even higher level, deepening even further the economic partnerships," Blinken said, while noting the two nations mark the 10th anniversary of their formal partnership this year.
Chinh said both sides were looking to elevate ties "to a new height", after a phone call last month between President Joe Biden and the head of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, a conversation he said yielded "great success".
The diplomatic anniversary and the Biden-Trong call could lead to a meeting between the two in July or other high-level meetings, analysts say.
It is still unclear when an upgrade of formal ties could be agreed, but Blinken expressed hope it could happen "in the weeks and months ahead".
Even more unclear is what upgraded ties would entail.
Blinken told reporters security was among the key components of the two countries' relations and noted this was growing, with Washington finalizing the shipment of a third naval cutter to support Vietnam's coastguard.
Washington and US defense firms have openly said they want to bolster their military supplies to Vietnam - so far largely limited to coastguard ships and training aircraft - as the country seeks to diversify away from Russia, which is currently its main supplier.
But military deals with the US face many potential hurdles, as Washington's lawmakers might block arms sales over human rights issues. US weapons are also expensive, risk triggering Chinese reactions, and may not easily be integrated with Vietnam's legacy weapons, analysts said.
Reuters