Economic imperatives drove the US and Vietnam to normalize postwar relations 20 years ago, and they remain a major incentive to boost ties. They see this as Vietnam creating a relationship with the United States that could cement USA presence and influence on mainland Asia in a way that China is not keen to support.
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In remarks to reporters afterward, Mr. Obama said Mr. Trong had invited him to visit Vietnam, a trip the president hoped to take “some time in the future”.
Mr Trong described the talks as “cordial, constructive, positive and frank”.
For his part, Trong noted the importance of the two countries having transformed from ex- enemies to comprehensive partners.
As Obama and Trong met in the Oval Office, Vietnamese protesters on Pennsylvania Avenue demanded more freedom in their homeland, including the release of political prisoners.
The Guardian writes that “Trong is one of the four most powerful figures in Vietnam, along with the president, Truong Tan Sang, the prime minister, Nguyen Tan Dung, and the national assembly chairman, Nguyen Sinh Hung”. Trong doesn’t hold an official government post, bu… Two such issues are the Trans Pacific Partnership and human rights.
Also on the agenda were talks on trade. Some politicians have called for Vietnam to be excluded from the 12-nation agreement until it moves forward on political rights.
Obama has touted Vietnam and Malaysia, where previous year he became the first US president since Lyndon Johnson to visit, as among the Southeast Asian nations that have been responsive to US engagement in a fast-growing region. “After Vietnam was given admission to the World Trade Organisation in 2007, it ratcheted up repression; expecting a different result now is just plain unrealistic”.
“It’s a reward that is not worth the price”, said John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. Biden hailed a series of agreements dealing with double taxation and aviation safety and a series of commercial deals, including one between Boeing and Vietnam Airlines that could be worth $7 billion and another between Boeing and VietJet Air that could be worth another $6 billion.
Some legislators and organizations criticized the meeting between Obama and Trong because of the imprisonment of political activists and dissident bloggers in Vietnam, but the White House argued that dialogue with countries with whom Washington has differences on human rights is the key to improving the situation in that area.
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In October, Washington announced the partial lifting of the ban, and authorized sales of maritime defense equipment to Vietnam. But current United States laws bar the sale of lethal weapons to Hanoi. He said he was confident “we can continue to make significant strides” on those issues through diplomacy.
