US-Vietnam ties aren’t meant to contain China – Biden

The United States and Vietnam are strengthening their diplomatic relations through a “strategic partnership,” said U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi. Biden was received by the Secretary-General of the ruling Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong.

“This means that the United States has strengthened its relationship with another important partner in the Indo-Pacific,” Biden stated. The United States is Vietnam’s second-largest trading partner after China. Officially, the United States and Vietnam have had a “comprehensive partnership” since 2013.

The two countries are deepening their cooperation in areas such as emerging technologies and semiconductors, according to the White House. Last month, the United States took measures to restrict American investments in Chinese technology in sensitive areas, including semiconductors, quantum computers, and artificial intelligence.

Biden also mentioned that he spoke with Chinese Premier Li Qiang during the recently concluded G20 summit in India. “We talked about stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” Biden said of the conversation, which he described as “not confrontational at all.”

During the press conference in Hanoi, Biden emphasized that he is not strengthening ties with Vietnam to “contain China.” However, Biden also mentioned that China is “changing some ground rules,” without specifying which rules.