Vietnam ‘may tilt towards US’ in regional power play with China
Manila’s stronger ties with Beijing could prompt Hanoi to move closer to Washington, observers say
Vietnam has emerged as China’s most vocal rival claimant in the South China Sea and could move closer to the United States as the Philippines tilts towards China, analysts say.
Hanoi’s tensions with Beijing came to the surface in Manila on Monday when a scheduled one-on-one meeting of the two countries’ foreign ministers was called off during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) foreign ministers meeting.
Vietnam pushed for the bloc to insist in its joint communique that a code of conduct with China over the disputed waters should be legally binding, a move Beijing opposes. To China’s dismay, Vietnam also pushed Asean to express concern about “extended construction” in the area.
Observers said there would be more frictions between China and Vietnam as Hanoi sought to engage other regional powers such as Japan and the United States to counterbalance Manila’s shift towards Beijing under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
To that end, US Defence Secretary James Mattis is due to have talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Ngo Xuan Lich in Washington this week. Vietnam will also host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November, which US President Donald Trump might attend.