China, Vietnam look to warm ties ahead of Apec summit, but is it all part of Hanoi’s balancing act?
Despite recent promises to boost trust, cooperation, relations between the two communist neighbours are still far from settled
After months of tension resulting from disputes in the South China Sea, recent talks between China and Vietnam have had a more conciliatory tone. Observers, however, have said that the situation between the two communist neighbours is still far from settled as Hanoi seeks to balance its relationships with both Beijing and Washington.
“Because of its strategic location in Asia, Vietnam has long had the advantage of being able to play a balancing role between great powers, like China and the Soviet Union, for example,” Zhang Mingliang, an expert on Southeast Asia at Jinan University in southern China’s Guangdong province, said.
Hanoi’s tactic of trying to stay close to Beijing for economic benefit but Washington for security leverage will be on full view in November when the Vietnamese capital hosts the annual Apec summit. Both US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to attend.
“Vietnam has long seen China as its main rival in strategic terms, but when it comes to regime security, China, rather than the US, is its firm ally,” Zhang said.
For decades, relations between China and Vietnam have been delicate and complicated. However, at a meeting last week to discuss border defence issues – held on the border between China’s Yunnan province and Vietnam’s Lai Chau province – Fan Changlong, vice-chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, told Vietnamese Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich that the two nations should seek to “strengthen mutual trust and deepen communication”.