Vietnam’s foreign minister credited his Communist-ruled nation’s “bamboo diplomacy” for successfully balancing its relations with the rival global powers of China and the US, and said that the recent resignation of President Vo Van Thuong would not be destabilising.
“In 2023, Vietnam hosted both US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping – which means Vietnam wishes and can have good relations with all major powers, thanks to Vietnam’s bamboo diplomacy”, Bui Thanh Son said at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank.
In September, Biden visited Hanoi and the US and Vietnam – two former long-time foes – upgraded their diplomatic ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
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Three months later, Xi travelled to Hanoi on a state visit. With 37 bilateral deals, including on railways and telecommunications, Beijing and Hanoi ushered in what they described as a “golden era” of bilateral ties.
“Competition among major powers is natural, but conflict is not inevitable,” Son said, welcoming efforts to stabilise US-China relations after Biden and Xi held talks in November.
On Monday, Son had meetings with senior Biden administration officials, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, the first ministerial-level talks since the upgrading of ties.
The discussions ranged from cooperation in semiconductor manufacturing to diversification of supply chains to critical minerals and artificial intelligence.
Son’s visit came as Vietnam strives to assure neighbours, allies and investors that the recent surprise resignation last week of President Vo Van Thuong over corruption allegations – would not lead to any political instability.
Vietnam tries to stabilise relations with China after ousting of president
“The resignation of the president, I think, will not affect our foreign policy as well as our own [domestic] policy of economic development. We have collective leadership. We have collective foreign policy. We have collective-decided economic-path development”, he said at Brookings.
Just a week earlier, a senior official of Vietnam’s Communist Party travelled to Beijing as part of an effort to “enhance political trust and consolidate a peaceful environment” and improve cooperation in “all fields”, according to the state-owned Vietnam News Agency.
Son said that “the region’s peace, stability and prosperity cannot be taken for granted” as it has become a “theatre for strategic competition” with many flash points, including the South China Sea, where both China and Vietnam have overlapping territorial claims. He urged the major powers to act responsibly.
With Washington’s pivot away from Beijing as it seeks to “de-risk” its relationship, Hanoi has received new-found attention from major investors and superpowers, managing to woo big tech players from both the West and China and developing its status as a manufacturing hub.
Vietnam has also upgraded diplomatic ties with US allies like Japan and Australia, and is part of Biden’s 14-member Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity grouping that intends to strengthen economic ties between the US and Southeast Asian allies to counter China’s regional influence.
However, differences remain.
“We hope that the United States will soon recognise Vietnam’s market economy status,” Son said, adding that cooperation on trade could “elevate Vietnam’s position in the regional and global value chain, which also benefits the United States and other partners”.
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