Human rights activists, who criticized Obama on Monday for lifting a decades-old arms embargo against Vietnam without obtaining concessions on human rights, said Vietnam’s actions Tuesday proved their point.
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Freedom of expression is where new ideas happen, Obama said. “I’m glad that we took a number of steps there, and I’m glad the president has made a decision to increase it further”, he said. He praised those Vietnamese who were “willing to make their voices heard”.
“Vietnam does not have a militarisation policy but we have necessary measures of working together with other countries.to ensure peace, freedom of navigation, aviation and commerce”. According to Reuters, prominent government critic Nguyen Quang A was taken by police hours before the event and kept in custody while the meeting took place.
With the CCP, all of its responses-whether through its Foreign Ministry spokesperson or its state-run news outlets-are going to be tightly regulated, and with something on this scale, also tightly calculated.
“Obama said that Vietnam will have greater access to the equipment they need to improve your security”, he said.
The White House “is taking advantage of Vietnam to stir up more troubles in the South China Sea”, it said.
China claims nearly all the South China Sea and has rattled neighbours with a series of reclamation and construction projects – including airstrips – on reefs and islets.
The lawyer, Ha Huy Son, was also prevented from attending. They listened intently as he spoke at the end of the meeting. Likewise, the Navy has said that 60 percent of USA submarines will be assigned to the Pacific (including the U.S.S. Scranton, which had been assigned to the Atlantic and Mediterranean).
He took office last month and is a member of a leadership triumvirate that has the hard task of maintaining the Communist Party’s close ties with its Chinese counterpart, while under pressure from its people to stand up to Beijing’s growing maritime assertiveness.
Vietnam’s manufacturing and export-led economy is seen as the biggest TPP beneficiary. Annual U.S-Vietnam trade has swelled from $450 million when ties were normalized to $45 billion past year, and Washington is a big buyer of Vietnam’s televisions, smartphones, clothing and seafood. The statement added that the Boeing deal is expected to support 60,000 American manufacturing and technology jobs.
Obama said he was “moved” to see thousands of locals lining Hanoi’s streets, craning with smartphones in hand for a view of his motorcade. He planned to meet with young entrepreneurs.
Bruce, many of President Obama’s comments appear to concern China’s growing influence in the region.
Vietnam holds about 100 political prisoners and there have been more detentions this year, some in the past week.
“When there is freedom of religion, it not only allows people to fully express the love and compassion that are at the heart of all great religions, but it allows faith groups to serve their communities through schools and hospitals, and care for the poor and the vulnerable”, he added.
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The episode in Hanoi was a measure of both the progress and the unfinished business as the USA and Vietnam move from onetime enemies to full partners with stronger economic and security ties.
