Ahead of President Joe Biden's meeting with Vietnam, a secret document outlining a proposed arms deal between Vietnam and Russia has been verified by Vietnamese officials. As Vietnam attempts to strengthen its ties with the United States, such a flagrant violation of U.S. sanctions calls into question the motives of Vietnam. Officials from the Vietnamese government have backed the alleged deal, saying that it would "strengthen strategic trust" with Russia and modernize the Vietnamese military against Chinese aggression. Considering the U.S.'s interest in limiting the expansion of Chinese influence, it will be interesting to see if this deal persists after Biden's meeting in Hanoi on Sunday. During that meeting, Biden will likely be faced with the moral choice of condemning the deal, or the strategic choice of allowing the deal to maintain U.S. interests in South Asia.
Article Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/09/world/asia/vietnam-russia-arms-deal.html
By: Frank Kwak
No comments:
Post a Comment