China dispatched a high-level Communist Party (CPC) emissary to Vietnam days before U.S. President Joe Biden is set to arrive when he is expected to upgrade diplomatic ties with Hanoi.
Liu Jianchao, head of the CPC’s international liaison department, met with the General Secretary of Vietnam’s Communist Party, Nguyễn Phú Trọng, on Tuesday.
The official readout of the meeting, according to Vietnamese state media, was rather bland with few details of what they talked about. However, the timing of the visit suggests that Hanoi wants to convey its assurances that Biden’s visit is not intended to roil ties with Beijing.
Biden will make a stopover in Vietnam on his way home from the G20 summit in New Delhi and is expected to upgrade bilateral ties to a “strategic partnership,” or possibly even a “comprehensive strategic partnership” – the top tier in Vietnam’s diplomatic hierarchy and the same level that Hanoi currently has with Beijing.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Vietnamese leaders have moved quickly this year to bolster diplomatic ties not only with the U.S. but also with a number of Asian neighbors in what is likely a hedge against China. So far this year, Hanoi has elevated relations with South Korea, Singapore and Australia, with Indonesia next.
SUGGESTED READING:
- South China Morning Post: How South China Sea moves by Beijing are sending Vietnam, others in region deeper into US embrace by Shi Jiangtao
- The Diplomat: Why Biden’s Visit to Vietnam Is a Triumph for the US by Hai Hong Nguyen
