US arms sales ban lifted as Obama visits Vietnam
Print Edition
US President Barack Obama yesterday lifted a half-century-old ban on selling arms to Vietnam during his first visit to the country, looking to bolster a government seen as a crucial, though flawed partner in a region he’s tried to place at the center of his foreign policy legacy.
Obama announced the full removal of the embargo at a news conference where he signaled a desire to leave the troubled history between the former enemies behind and reward what he described as modest progress on human rights.
“At this stage, both sides have established a level of trust and cooperation, including between our militaries, that is reflective of common interests and mutual respect,” Obama said, adding that every US arms sale would be reviewed case by case. “This change will ensure Vietnam has access to the equipment it needs to defend itself and removes a lingering vestige of the Cold War.”
Obama is seeking to strike a balance with Vietnam, which he called a vital country in one of the world’s most vital regions, amid tensions over the South China Sea, one of the world’s most important waterways.
China lauded the lifting of a US arms embargo, saying it hoped “normal and friendly” relations between the US and Vietnam are conducive to regional stability. A spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said bans are a product of the Cold War and shouldn’t have existed.
Lifting the arms embargo will be a psychological boost for Vietnam’s leaders, but there may not be a big jump in sales. Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang praised the expansion in security and trade ties between “former enemies turned friends” and called for more US investment in Vietnam. He said there was enormous bilateral trade growth potential.
US lawmakers and activists had urged the president to press the Vietnamese leadership for greater freedoms before lifting the embargo. Vietnam holds about 100 political prisoners and there have been more detentions this year.
The United States partially lifted the embargo in 2014, and removing the remaining restrictions opens the way to deeper security cooperation.
After three days in Vietnam, Obama heads to Japan for an international summit and a visit to Hiroshima, where he will be the first sitting president to visit the site of the first atomic bomb attack.
He arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital, late on Sunday, making him the third sitting president to visit the country since the end of the war. Four decades after the fall of Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City, and two decades after President Bill Clinton restored relations with the nation, Obama is eager to upgrade relations with an emerging power whose rapidly expanding middle class beckons as a promising market for US goods.
Obama was greeted by Quang at the Presidential Palace yesterday. Obama congratulated Vietnam for making “extraordinary progress.” He said he hopes the visit will show a continued interest in strengthening ties in the years to come.
Obama will make the case for stronger commercial and security ties, including approval of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement that is stalled in Congress and facing strong opposition from the 2016 presidential candidates. The deal, which includes Vietnam, would tear down trade barriers and encourage investment between signatories.
Critics worry it would cost jobs by exposing American workers to low-wage competition from countries such as Vietnam. They also say it would allow multinational corporations to challenge local laws by saying they violate the trade deal.
Obama and Quang earlier attended a signing ceremony touting a series of new commercial deals between US and Vietnamese companies valued at more than US$16 billion.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
