Vietnam Wants U.S. Help at Sea and Chinese Help at Home
“Vietnam’s dual outreach doesn’t mean its burgeoning relationship with the United States is fake or insincere. Hanoi has actively sought Washington’s support to counter severe and material Chinese threats to Vietnam’s sovereignty and maritime claims in the South China Sea. But the partnership has a narrow scope. When push comes to shove, Beijing exerts substantial, probably growing, influence on a critical issue to Hanoi’s leadership: regime survival. Washington should not be surprised if Chinese leverage and privileged access constrain and undermine U.S. influence-building efforts.”
“This strategy of dual-track, non-monogamous security cooperation shows Vietnam’s intent to chart an autonomous course amid intensifying regional and global strategic competition. This strategy has its origins in the Cold War, when Vietnam’s alignment with the Soviet Union made it a target of Chinese attack; Russia’s war in Ukraine seems to have increased Hanoi’s concern about being trampled by great-power rivalry.”
Read the full item at Foreign Policy.