Major General Le Van Cuong: Identifying Vietnam-US relations through Kamala Harris' visit

Singapore's Foreign Minister welcomes US Vice President Kamala Harris at the airport in Singapore on August 22. Photo: Reuters

PV:Major General, on the occasion of the US Vice President's visit to Vietnam, can you explain the need for the US and Vietnam to expand bilateral relations despite their differences in political nature?

Major General Le Van Cuong:It is true that in essence, the political systems of the US and Vietnam are completely opposite: one is a multi-party, opposition democracy, the other is socialist-oriented. But even so, the two sides still have something in common that promotes cooperation with each other: Interests.

In gathering forces to deal with China, the US considers Vietnam to be an extremely important link. Especially in the East Sea issue, besides the common voice of ASEAN, the US considers Vietnam to be the front line. In implementing the current Indo-Pacific strategy and the Obama-era pivot strategy, three consecutive US administrations have considered Vietnam to be an important country with strong traditions and internal strength, facing external challenges. The biggest benefit that the US sees in Vietnam is security and defense, not economics. They need to use Vietnam to strengthen relations with ASEAN, strengthen relations with countries such as Japan, India, Australia, etc. Therefore, although there are still some problems, political interests have overwhelmed everything.

Vietnam also needs the US, especially economically, as the US is a market of 330 million people, with which we have a trade surplus of nearly 50 billion USD. On the other hand, we need foreign direct investment (FDI) from the US, a country that owns high-tech corporations. In terms of science and technology, 50% of the world's inventions are American, and they are also the place that trains the best human resources in the world. In terms of foreign policy, the US is still a superpower, a permanent member of the Security Council, and plays an important role on the world political stage. In terms of security and defense, cooperation is still needed, for the benefit of both sides, not against a third country. That is the reason why both sides definitely need to promote relations, which is the driving force behind the US Vice President's visit to Vietnam this time.

Vietnam-US bilateral relations have developed in both breadth and depth in recent times. Photo: Alec

PV:In your opinion, what is the goal of Ms. Kamala Harris during her visit to Vietnam? What issues will be mentioned and discussed by the two sides?

Major General Le Van Cuong:The overarching goal is to strengthen the Vietnam-US bilateral relationship. The US will certainly ask Vietnam to promote its active and core role in ASEAN, contributing to strengthening the solidarity and unity within the bloc, not allowing ASEAN to fall into the “arms” of China. The US will hope to, through Vietnam, strengthen its relationship with ASEAN - the most important goal.

Vietnam is an important factor in the US's Indo-Pacific strategic calculations, so through this visit, the US must also more accurately identify the current context in the Asia-Pacific, the attitudes of countries in the region towards the US in particular, towards other countries and China in general.

Regarding the issues to be discussed, the discussion will include bilateral and multilateral relations. Certainly, the two sides will first discuss economic issues, how to handle the problem of Vietnam's trade surplus with the US. But I think this is not too important. We also ask the US to invest more FDI in Vietnam, and continue to facilitate Vietnamese goods to the US. In addition, there is also cooperation in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, hoping that the US will support and help Vietnam with part of the vaccine production technology and part of the vaccine.

The US will also support human resource training... From a multilateral perspective, most importantly on the East Sea issue, the US continues to pledge to support Vietnam in protecting its legitimate interests, supporting peaceful dialogue based on UNCLOS 1982, opposing all coercive actions and violations of the sovereignty of countries. The issue of ASEAN relations with China was also mentioned, including probing the attitudes of ASEAN countries towards the US Indo-Pacific strategy.

PV:How do you predict the outcome of the visit?

Major General Le Van Cuong:Certainly, through this visit, the Vietnam - US relationship will be strengthened in many areas, including economics, science, technology, human resource training, international cooperation, politics, national security and defense... This is an important milestone demonstrating that the Vietnam - US comprehensive partnership has been developed in both depth and breadth.

Through the visit, Vietnam's role and position in the region and the world are enhanced. When the Vice President of a superpower visits Vietnam, at least the public will understand that we have a particularly important role in the US strategy. The US also benefits, strengthening relations with Vietnam is an important step in the Indo-Pacific strategy. I think both sides will have good results.

US Vice President Kamala Harris arrives at Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore on August 22. Photo: AFP

PV:Besides Vietnam, Singapore is also a stopover for the US Vice President during this visit. In your opinion, what role does Singapore play in the US strategic arrangement?

Major General Le Van Cuong:In all aspects, among the 10 ASEAN countries, the US-Singapore relationship is the strongest and most loyal in the past 60 years. Economically, US FDI in Singapore is the largest, and the people of this country are aware that their development is partly due to US cooperation. In terms of defense and security, the two sides do not have an agreement but have a memorandum of understanding, according to which Singapore allows the US military to access their airports and ports, and provide logistical support for the US military.

In addition, Singapore has a particularly important position, with nearly 80% of its population being Chinese. Singapore can be seen as a bridge between the US and China, important in the Indo-Pacific strategic arrangement, and a bridge between the US and ASEAN. Therefore, visiting Singapore is the US's way of expressing its desire to strengthen the traditional and historical relationship, encourage Singapore to play a more active role in ASEAN, and promote ASEAN to play a central role in the Asia-Pacific region, avoiding ASEAN falling into the hands of China.

PV:Finally, can you explain why the visit of the US Vice President - a normal diplomatic activity - has received so much attention from world public opinion in recent days?

Major General Le Van Cuong:It should be noted that Vietnam and Singapore are part of ASEAN - the most important link, the bridge between the two oceans, so the implementation of the US Pacific-Indian Ocean strategy cannot lack the participation of ASEAN. Therefore, Ms. Harris's visit to these two countries, in addition to the usual diplomatic meaning, also has hidden geopolitical and geostrategic significance in the US's strategic calculations.

Therefore, many countries are particularly interested, because after this trip, how the Vietnam-US and Singapore-US relations develop could shake the whole region. Remember, in March 2021, the Biden administration announced the interim national security strategy guidance, emphasizing the importance of cooperation with Asian countries to promote common goals.

PV:Thank you, General!