US considers Vietnam a promising partner in Asia Pacific

According to the CSIS report, since the normalisation of diplomatic ties in 1995, US-Vietnam relations have taken giant steps forward in nearly every area from politics and the economy to military and cultural ties.

Former President Bill Clinton’s historic visit in 2000 and State President Truong Tan Sang’s visit to the US  in 2013 were important milestones signalling growth in the strategic ties between the two countries which ultimately manifested in the establishment of a comprehensive equal partnership.

The report themed “A new era in US-Vietnam relations: Deepening ties two decades after normalization” focuses on three key pillars of the relationship: political and security cooperation, trade and investment relations and people-to-people ties including education, health and environmental cooperation.

In a quickly changing and dynamic region, the two countries share increasingly common geopolitical, security and economic interests, the report asserts.

Scot Marciel, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs recently affirmed the US has co-ordinated well with Vietnam at ASEAN, the East Asia Summit (EAS) and APEC. Vietnam is a good partner in promoting peace, security, stability and cooperation in the region, he said.

According to CSIS, both Washington and Hanoi have a vested interest in upholding the freedom of navigation and commerce in the East Sea, preventing the use of force in territorial disputes and ensuring the peaceful resolution of maritime conflicts.

US policy makers say that if the US wants to exert influence and power in the Asia-Pacific region, remaining strategically engaged with a partner like Vietnam is crucial to shaping the strategic interests of the US in Southeast Asian region.

Murray Hiebert, a co-author of the report said several high-level US officials have arrived and are expected to come to Vietnam in the time ahead including US Secretary of State John Kerry, US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and General Martin E. Dempsey Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

General Dempsey’s upcoming visit to Vietnam is of great significance as he seldom pays a working visit abroad and the announcement of the visit in an ominous signal. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel and First Lady Michelle Obama are also expected to visit Vietnam.

CSIS noted the strength of bilateral economic relations has been both the foundation and the engine of the US-Vietnam partnership.

Twenty years after the two countries signed the first bilateral trade agreement, two-way trade reached US$25 billion in 2013. The US is Vietnam’s largest export market and currently ranks as its seventh largest foreign investor. Trade and economic ties are optimistically expected to grow further with the conclusion of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) in sight.

The CSIS report emphasised political, security and defence cooperation have emerged as another successful area of cooperation with the frequent exchange of high-level visits.

The US and Vietnam now hold two annual vice ministerial level dialogues to find ways to boost defence and security cooperation. Officials of both nations meet regularly to discuss human rights issues.

CSIS experts said education has emerged as the most crucial link between the two peoples. Vietnam is now the largest country in Southeast Asia for sending students to the US and the fifth largest in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole.

Both nations have been working together to address the legacy of the Vietnam War, especially the impact of Agent Orange (AO) and the removal of unexploded ordnance remaining on Vietnamese soil.

Ernest Bower, the CSIS Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies was sanguine about the prospects to narrow differences between the two nations. He said good partners often have different views, stressing the US also has a different viewpoint on human rights. The report also proposed some key recommendations to advance trade, economic and investment relations.

CSIS experts said the US should make a commitment for President Barack Obama to visit Vietnam in 2015 on the occasion of 20^th anniversary of normalisation of ties.

The US Government is expected to relax and eventually remove the ban on lethal weapons sales to Vietnam, expand the scope of activities during the annual US-Vietnam naval engagement activity to include joint humanitarian assistance and disaster relief or search and rescue exercises.

Both sides are speeding up efforts to conclude TPP negotiations soon, strengthen government to government dialogues on trade and investment issues and ease trade restrictions and protectionist measures. In addition, the US should work to lift Vietnam’s designation as a nonmarket economy in the spirit of the comprehensive partnership announced by the two countries’ leaders in 2013.