US plans to sell weapons to Vietnam
According to the US side, purchasing American weapons will contribute to changing the trade deficit between them and Vietnam, so this is a priority.
As is known, in bilateral economic relations, Vietnam is currently a country with a trade surplus with the United States with a trade surplus of 20 billion USD. However, according to President Donald Trump's new policy, this may have some changes in the direction of balance.
At the first press conference since taking office as US Ambassador to Vietnam on the afternoon of March 26, when asked "Is the arms trade between Vietnam and the US part of the goal of reducing the trade deficit between the two countries?", Mr. Daniel Kritenbrink frankly said:
“The simple answer is yes. Any arms sale has complex factors that both sides must consider before proceeding. Of course the financial aspect is important.
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The security and technical aspects are also important, we must consider which weapons are suitable and practical for our Vietnamese partners. There are also other factors related to the technical aspect...
But I think the fact that both sides are considering these things also shows great progress in the partnership between the two countries.
It also demonstrates our commitment to a strong, prosperous and independent Vietnam, as well as our commitment to cooperation with Vietnamese partners in many areas, including defense."
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Previously, according to the official website of the White House, during a meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi during his visit to Vietnam, the President of the United States of America made the following statement:
"We want Vietnam to buy equipment from the United States. We make the best equipment, we make the best military equipment, and aircraft, and anything you can name. The missiles we produce are in the category that no one can access.
I said earlier, as you know, a missile was just fired at Saudi Arabia from Yemen. And one of our missile systems shot it down. Nobody even knows what happened. And the missile exploded in the air; it was shot down as if nothing had happened.
We make the best rockets in the world, the best airplanes in the world, the best commercial aircraft in the world.
So we want Vietnam to buy from us, and we have to eliminate the trade imbalance. We cannot have a trade imbalance.
Other than that, I think we're headed for a great relationship, and I look forward to it going forward for many years to come."
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| The Hamilton-class CSB 8020 patrol boat is the largest weapon Vietnam has received from the US. |
As for Vietnam, according to international experts, the need for some high-tech American weapons such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon light fighter and the P-3C Orion anti-submarine patrol aircraft... is real.
Therefore, with the above developments, it will not be surprising if the defense equipment procurement contract between the two countries is soon promoted.
