Former Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh: Vietnam-US relations have reached maturity.

VnExpress•01/09/2023

Former Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh believes that Vietnam and the United States have reached a mature stage to further deepen their cooperative relationship, serving the interests of both countries.

"The past 10 years have been the most robust and substantive period of development in all areas of relations between Vietnam and the United States," Pham Quang Vinh, who assumed the position of Vietnam's Ambassador to Washington in November 2014, more than a year after the two countries upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership, told VnExpress .

He explained that Vietnam-US relations were normalized in 1995, but before upgrading to a Comprehensive Partnership in 2013, the two countries lacked a suitable framework to unify areas of cooperation.

"With the upgrading of relations, for the first time, Vietnam and the US have a stable, long-term, and comprehensive partnership framework across all fields," Mr. Vinh said.

*General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong received US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Party Central Headquarters on April 15. Photo: Hoang Phong*

One noticeable trend is that since Vietnam and the US upgraded their relationship, the two countries have increasingly prioritized cooperation in the political field. There have been continuous high-level visits between the two sides over the past 10 years, notably the visits of Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump to Vietnam, and the visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to the US in 2015.

Former Ambassador Vinh assessed General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit to the US in July 2015 as the most symbolic activity demonstrating respect for each other's political systems, as it marked the first time a General Secretary of Vietnam had visited the US.

He said that both Hanoi and Washington were very eager for the visit to take place, but the US side had some reservations regarding protocol due to differences in political systems, because the General Secretary is the head of the Communist Party of Vietnam , but not the head of state.

"But once they connected, the two countries agreed that the heads of their political systems are equal and can meet," said Vinh, who served as Vietnam's ambassador to the US at the time of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit.

During the visit, both sides affirmed their commitment to putting the past behind them, looking towards the future, and fostering stronger relations, while emphasizing the guiding principles of their relationship, including respect for each other's political systems.

"General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and then-President Obama also issued a vision statement on bilateral relations to guide development on the basis of a comprehensive and broader partnership," said former ambassador Pham Quang Vinh.

*General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong met with US President Barack Obama at the White House on July 7, 2015. Photo: VNA*

Besides politics, economic relations between Vietnam and the US have also developed strongly after the upgrading of relations. About 10 years ago, bilateral trade was around $23 billion, but now that figure is $123 billion, an increase of about 3.5 times.

During President Donald Trump's term, who pursued the "America First" policy, Vietnam also re-established dialogue mechanisms to resolve economic and trade disputes between the two countries, ensuring they were consistent with the priorities and interests of both Vietnam and the United States, most notably the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).

"Accordingly, Vietnam has agreed to purchase more liquefied natural gas, aircraft, and has major projects with the US to show that we are also increasing our consumption of US products within our capabilities and financial resources," Mr. Vinh said.

Over the past 10 years, all other areas of bilateral relations have seen significant progress.

Defense and security cooperation has seen an increase in port visits by US warships, efforts to address the consequences of war such as dioxin decontamination at Da Nang and Bien Hoa airports, and the search for missing Americans. The US has also assisted Vietnam in identifying soldiers who died in the war.

The former ambassador assessed that international and regional cooperation between the two countries is also increasing, especially in the Asia-Pacific and ASEAN . Both sides share common ground, such as valuing peace, stability, and an order based on international law, including the South China Sea issue.

Vietnam and the United States also share a desire to promote regional cooperation in responding to non-traditional security challenges. "Climate change, epidemics, water security, and sea-level rise are priority issues for both the US and Vietnam in the region," Mr. Vinh said.

*10 years of the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Partnership. Click on the image to see details.*

During a telephone conversation between General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and US President Joe Biden on March 29, the two leaders assessed that the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Partnership has developed positively in recent times, in line with the interests and aspirations of both countries.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong stated that the positive results in bilateral relations in recent times serve as a basis for further elevating the relationship to a new level, for the benefit of the people of both countries, and for peace, stability, and development in the region and the world.

"It is evident that both sides have reached a mature stage in developing their relationship and also wish to elevate it to a new level in the future, especially on this 10th anniversary," former Ambassador Vinh remarked.

President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Vietnam on September 10-11 at the invitation of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. This will be President Biden's first visit to Vietnam since taking office in early 2021.

Mr. Vinh believes that the US President's visit will deepen and further guide the development of bilateral relations, strengthening existing areas and promoting cooperation in new areas, especially in economics, trade, and investment. "The visit will also help enhance political understanding and trust between the two sides, creating a foundation for promoting cooperation both bilaterally and multilaterally," he emphasized.

Vnexpress.net