HANOI (Dispatches) – President Joe Biden arrived at Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s doorstep on Sunday with a deal in hand to lure yet another one of China’s neighbors closer to the United States.
In just the last five months, Biden has hosted the Philippines’ president at the White House for the first time in over a decade; he has fêted the Indian prime minister with a lavish state dinner; and he has hosted his Japanese and South Korean counterparts for a summit ripe with symbolism at the storied Camp David presidential retreat.
The latest page in the U.S.’s Indo-Pacific playbook came via the establishment of a “comprehensive strategic partnership” that will put the U.S. on par with Vietnam’s highest tier of partners, including China, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
Biden secured deals with Vietnam on semiconductors and minerals as the strategic Southeast Asian nation elevated Washington to its highest diplomatic status alongside China and Russia.
The U.S. has been pushing for the upgrade for months as it sees the manufacturing dynamo as a key country in its strategy to secure global supply chains from China-related risks.
Vietnam is having to navigate frosty relations between Washington and Beijing as it seeks its own foothold in the international economic competition.
Top Chinese officials, possibly including President Xi Jinping, are expected to visit Vietnam in the coming days or weeks, officials and diplomats said, as Hanoi seeks to maintain good relations with all super powers.
It also comes as Vietnam’s longstanding relationship with Russia faces tests over the war in Ukraine, including talks with Russia over a new arms supply deal that could trigger U.S. sanctions.
Reuters has seen documents describing talks for a credit facility that Russia would extend to Vietnam to buy heavy weaponry, including anti-ship missiles, antisubmarine aircraft and helicopters, antiaircraft missile systems and fighter jets.
Beijing last week urged Washington to put aside its old zero-sum Cold War mentality and pursue plans that benefit all of humanity.
“We believe that when dealing with relations with Asian countries, the U.S should abandon the Cold War mentality of a zero-sum game,” said Mao Ning, spokeswoman of China’s Foreign Ministry.