Looking at China, Biden is going to our neighboring country. Source | Diplomacy | Biden

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It has to be said that Biden is really a diplomatic veteran.

He clearly wanted to go to Vietnam, but when he said it, it seemed like Vietnam was begging him to go quickly.

During a political fundraising event a few days ago, Biden mysteriously announced that Vietnam wanted to upgrade its relationship with the United States and become a major partner of the United States. Therefore, he decided to visit Vietnam "soon".

He previously revealed that he received a phone call from a "Vietnamese leader" who "really wants to meet with me when I attend the G20 summit" and "he hopes to elevate us to a major partner on equal footing with Russia and China.".

What does it mean?

From my personal interpretation, Biden's meaning is still very meaningful.

If what Biden said is true, the G20 summit will be held in New Delhi, India from September 9th to 10th, and he will attend as expected.

That means that as the President of the United States, his first visit to Vietnam is likely to be next month.

2. A "Vietnamese leader" called, who is he? It is highly likely that it is Nguyen Phu Trong, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, who spoke with Biden via phone in March this year.

At that time, the two did discuss mutual visits, but did not specify a specific time.

3. After the phone call, the White House announced that Biden emphasized that Vietnam is an important partner of the United States, and that the US supports Vietnam's prosperity, strength, independence, and vitality. The US and Vietnam will work together to address regional challenges and ensure the "freedom and openness of the Indo Pacific region.".

What domain challenges? The United States clearly means something, and everyone should understand.

According to the latest information disclosed by Biden, Nguyen Phuc Trong also promised to elevate its relationship with the United States to the same level as Russia and China.

It's like a bit of self promotion. Don't forget, Vietnam currently has a "comprehensive partnership" with the United States, which is the third level of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and China. This is two levels lower than Vietnam's "comprehensive strategic partnership" with China.

Nguyen Phuc Trong, did you indeed make such a promise?

But one thing is clear: despite feeling a headache at pointing fingers at the United States, Vietnam does have a desire to strengthen its relationship with the United States; At the same time, the United States is making every effort to win over Vietnam. Biden's visit to Vietnam is definitely aimed at China.

Before Biden went to Vietnam, many American politicians had already gone to Vietnam one after another. I remember that in April this year, Antony Blinken went to Vietnam and participated in the inauguration ceremony of the new American embassy, which cost 1.2 billion dollars.

According to an analysis article by Reuters at the time, there is a paragraph that goes like this:

Antony Blinken's visit is part of the broader U.S. strategy in Southeast Asia, which aims to build an alliance against China. Many countries in the region are unwilling to confront this massive neighboring country, which is not only a military power but also an important trading partner and investment source. For the United States, Vietnam is an important Southeast Asian trading partner that Washington hopes to strengthen relations with. But for Hanoi, this is a difficult balancing act that requires cooperation with Washington without angering Beijing

I remember that Antony Blinken also announced that security was an "important part" of the US Vietnam relationship, and the United States had finalized the transfer of the third patrol boat to Vietnam to enhance the capacity of the Vietnamese Coast Guard.

So much so that the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam posted such a question and answer on the same day.

Q: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Vietnam on the 15th that the United States is willing to help regional countries improve their sea area situational awareness and deal with other countries' "coercion" against their fishing vessels. What is China's comment on this?

Answer: With the joint efforts of China and relevant ASEAN countries, the current situation in the South China Sea remains stable... Countries outside the region, based on Cold War thinking and the essence of maintaining hegemony, use every opportunity to sow discord and sow discord in the region, which is unpopular and destined to end in failure.

Please note this sentence: Countries outside the region, based on Cold War thinking and the essence of maintaining hegemony, use every opportunity to sow discord and sow discord in the region, which is unpopular

Finally, what do you think?

It's still a matter of three shades.

Firstly, the United States will not give up stirring up discord.

So, we can see that recently, Americans have been very diligent in Vietnam. Vice President Harris has gone, Trade Representative Dai Qi has gone, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has gone, Secretary of Finance Yellen has gone, and many members of Congress have also gone.

Now, Biden is going to personally take a trip to Vietnam.

There will definitely be no shortage of moths.

Don't Vietnam know?

Vietnam is very clear in its heart.

Vietnam wants to strengthen its relationship with the United States, which is actually understandable. But the consistent behavior of the United States may also make the psychology of Vietnamese people very complicated, hoping for him to come, afraid that he won't come, and even more afraid that he will act recklessly.

Therefore, when meeting with Antony Blinken at that time, Vietnamese Prime Minister Fan Mingzheng said this: Vietnam does not choose sides but chooses justice and fairness.

In June of this year, Fan Mingzheng visited China and specifically promised Chinese leaders that Vietnam is willing to work closely with China to prevent and respond to various risks and challenges, and not allow any forces to disrupt Vietnam China relations

America, America, don't drag Vietnam into this muddy water.

Secondly, this is a highly skilled diplomatic game.

It must be acknowledged that national interests come first. The United States has its own national interests, and Vietnam has its own national interests. Therefore, sometimes the United States will play the Vietnamese card, and Vietnam will also play the American card.

This is all normal, and we also need to be mentally prepared.

But does Meiyue have no contradiction?

There must still be some. 50 years ago, in that battle, how many Vietnamese people were killed by American guns, and the wounds were quickly healed?

Not to mention the huge differences in political systems between the two countries, can the United States truly respect Vietnam's path?

I believe that the Vietnamese leadership is not so naive either.

Moreover, when Biden visits Vietnam, he will definitely criticize some of Vietnam's issues, believing that only by doing what Vietnam can the US Vietnam relationship improve.

Without saying these words, Biden won't be able to pass the domestic border, but will Vietnamese people be happy to hear such finger pointing?

So, in some areas, cooperation between Vietnam and the United States will definitely deepen, and it may even be possible to dig into China's corners and release certain signals. For example, when Fan Mingzheng visited China last time, the outside world was surprised to see that Vietnam "rarely" allowed American aircraft carriers to visit Vietnam.

But Vietnam must also be aware that China is a neighbor that cannot be moved away, especially in some critical issues, and the only reliable one is China, not the United States.

Thirdly, will there be no American flag?

I remember that there was another important episode in Antony Blinken's last visit to Vietnam. When Antony Blinken talked with Fan Mingzheng, there was only one Vietnamese flag in the meeting place. Many people searched for it for a long time, but failed to find the American flag.

Why not?

I don't know either. Of course, some people believe that this is actually a tradition in Vietnam, where the Prime Minister meets with other foreign ministers and sometimes there is no foreign flag.

But other countries are other countries, the United States is the United States, and this is the first time Antony Blinken came to Vietnam as Secretary of State.

Perhaps, Vietnamese people also send a signal.

Vietnam knows very well what calculations the United States wants to make. Vietnam has a clearer understanding of how to navigate between China and the United States.

For us, we cannot ignore the small actions of the United States; But Vietnam, we really can't underestimate it.

Of course, with Antony Blinken's lesson, Americans may have a better idea. Next month, Biden will visit Vietnam for the first time as President. No matter what you do, you must give the United States a flag.