Vietnam is a significant component of the United States’ regional policy, and the country’s competition with China has been used to enhance its influence.
On Saturday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi to discuss strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries.
“We now hope to be able to take [relations] to an even higher level,” Blinken said following the meeting.
Blinken’s visit to Vietnam exemplifies the Biden administration’s efforts to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian governments in response to China’s growing aggressiveness in the region.
Both leaders underlined their commitment to strengthening their collaboration, with Blinken complimenting the bilateral relationship’s “extraordinary progress” and underlining the importance of human rights, according to a US State Department official.
Following a phone discussion last month between President Joe Biden and the head of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, Chinh said both sides were “looking to further strengthening, further elevating our bilateral ties to a new height.”
The Biden-Trong chat might pave the way for a meeting between the two leaders in July, as well as subsequent high-level gatherings.
