In Beijing China, the country’s Foreign Minister outwardly praised the move noting that China hoped a normal and friendly relation between Vietnam and US would be conducive to the regional stability.
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In July 2013, former Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and Obama launched the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership during Sang’s visit to the US.
US President Barack Obama and his delegation on Monday were accompanied by Vietnam’s National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan when they visited a stilt house where President Ho Chi Minh lived.
In a joint news conference with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, Obama said that the removal of the ban on lethal weapons was part of a deeper defense co-operation with the country and dismissed suggestions it was aimed at countering China’s growing strength in the region.
It was unclear whether striking the ban would quickly result in a boost in arms sales.
Few countries have seen such a dramatic turnaround in their relations since intense reconciliation efforts, led by Mr Obama’s Democratic predecessor Bill Clinton.
After three days in Vietnam, Obama will attend an global summit in Japan and will visit Hiroshima, where he will be the first US sitting president to visit the site of the first atomic bomb attack carried out by the USA, the only country to have ever dropped the bomb.
U.S. President Barack Obama started a seven-day trip of Vietnam and Japan Sunday to strengthen bilateral relations and economic agreements.
Several million Vietnamese – civilians, communist fighters and South Vietnamese soldiers – were killed, as well as more than 58,000 USA soldiers.
Interesting China was raised as a concern for President Obama and his hosts in Hanoi considering the President has pointed to China as a model for domestic gun control measures.
Obama said the United States was fully lifting the ban but the sale of arms would depend on Vietnam’s human rights commitments. The deal, which includes Vietnam, would tear down trade barriers and encourage investment between the countries that signed it.
Obama and Quang earlier attended a signing ceremony touting a series of new commercial deals between USA and Vietnamese companies valued at more than $16 billion. He singled out U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who served in the Vietnam War, for special mention.
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The deals included US engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney’s plans to sell 135 advanced engines to Vietnamese air carrier Vietjet and Boeing’s plans to sell 100 aircraft to airline. Obama says veterans on both sides have shown “hearts can change and peace is possible”. Bourdain was to discuss the goal of Obama’s trip to Asia and his interest in the people, food and culture of Vietnam.
