General Secretary's "historic and timely" visit

(Baonghean) - On July 11, 1995, then US President Bill Clinton announced the normalization of relations between the US and Vietnam, removing economic sanctions imposed on Vietnam since 1975.

After two decades, the relationship between the two countries that were once known as “former enemies” in the brutal war has undergone significant changes. One of the proofs for this argument is the visit of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong to the United States from today (July 7) to mark the 20th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States. This is a trip that is considered “historic and timely”, and is truly a turning point in the bilateral relationship between the two countries that were on opposite sides of the battle line 40 years ago.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at a press conference before starting his visit to the US. Photo: AP

Bloomberg News reported that US President Barack Obama will host General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong today in the Oval Office, a place reserved for heads of state and government. The Diplomat commented that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit is unprecedented because it marks the first time a leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam has visited the US in an official capacity. All of this shows the expectation and close attention of the press not only at home but also abroad to the developments of this visit.

It can be seen that the event of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visiting Washington and meeting with President Obama partly demonstrates the US recognition of the role of the Communist Party in Vietnam’s political system and the desire to continue deeper engagement between the two states. This visit is even more significant because it is a premise for other future visits by Party leaders.

On the Vietnamese side, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong emphasized the priority of relations with the US “as one of the most important partners in foreign policy”, and took advantage of the visit to discuss issues including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), security cooperation and climate change. Meanwhile, the White House said that President Obama's discussion content was ways to strengthen the US-Vietnam comprehensive partnership, in addition to mentioning the aforementioned trade agreement, as well as human rights issues and bilateral defense cooperation.

Before leaving Vietnam for the US, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong expressed his hope to build trust and create more opportunities to improve relations between the two countries. The two countries are also considered to have drawn closer due to their shared concerns about China’s sovereignty claims in the East Sea.

The General Secretary noted that not only the Vietnam-US relationship but also any relationship in the world has differences in many issues such as perceptions of democracy, human rights and trade. Based on that perception, he emphasized that the most effective way to resolve these differences is through open and constructive dialogues to understand each other, avoiding letting differences become barriers in bilateral relations in general.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong arrives at Andrews military airport on July 6 - Photo: VNA

US officials are eager to take relations with Vietnam, which are currently friendly but not particularly close, to a new level. The US news agency AP commented that because of its geopolitical and economic role, Vietnam could play an important role in Obama’s “pivot” to Asia.

Both Vietnam and the United States are looking to strengthen their relationship to deal with economic and strategic challenges.

According to statistics, bilateral trade between Vietnam and the US increased from 451 million USD in 1995, the first year of normalization of relations, to 36 billion USD in 2014. This is an impressive figure and represents the efforts of both sides in the field of economic cooperation.

It is clear that both countries are still working hard to build closer economic ties, even though Vietnam has surpassed Malaysia and Thailand to become the Southeast Asian country exporting the most to the US market. Both countries are also looking to benefit from the TPP, which is currently in the negotiation stage for signing.

Thus, economic motives prompted Vietnam and the US to normalize relations after the war 20 years ago, and to this day, they remain the main driving force behind the strengthening of cooperation between the two states.

In addition, analysts say, the interests of the US and Vietnam have become closer since China illegally placed the Haiyang Shiyou-981 oil rig in waters within Vietnam's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf last year and recently reclaimed reefs and built artificial islands under Vietnam's sovereignty in the East Sea. China's unreasonable claims of sovereignty in the East Sea violate international law and harm peace and stability in the region, affecting freedom of navigation, thereby potentially harming the interests of countries in and outside the region, including Vietnam and the US. In that context, it is reasonable and common sense that Vietnam and the US seek to move closer together due to their shared concerns about China's aggressive attitude. In terms of strategic cooperation, the US is currently providing Vietnam with six patrol boats, which is part of a military aid package worth $18 million.

Regarding this issue, the General Secretary said: “We are all aware of the strategic position of the East Sea. I hope that the US will continue to use its voice and appropriate actions to contribute to the peaceful resolution of disputes in the East Sea, in accordance with international law.”

Ernest Bower, a Southeast Asia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), stressed that the General Secretary’s visit was “historic and timely” and aimed at removing barriers to trust. “The two countries are about to enter a new era of deeper cooperation in areas such as security, politics and diplomacy. The leaders of the two countries must develop a level of trust and mutual respect. That is the important content of this visit,” he said.

Regarding the normalization of Vietnam-US relations, former President Bill Clinton recently described it on July 2 as “one of the most important achievements of his presidency”. This visit by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is a sign of the rapid and positive progress in Vietnam-US relations since the end of the war, while also highlighting the importance of this bilateral relationship for each country. A message that Vietnam wants to convey through this diplomatic event, or also the viewpoint in our country’s foreign policy, is: “Vietnam wants to be a friend and trusted partner of all countries in the world”.

Thu Giang