Blinken arrives in Hanoi seeking upgrade in US-Vietnam ties

HANOI, Vietnam - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Vietnam Friday looking to expand diplomatic ties with Hanoi, days after a flare-up in tensions with China over Taiwan.

Blinken -- who is passing through Hanoi on his way to a Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers meeting in Japan -- will meet top Vietnamese leaders on Saturday to pave the way for a potential diplomatic upgrade with the country.

The two countries have increasingly close trade links, while both share concern over China's growing strength in the region.

The US's top diplomat will hope to build on a phone call last month between US President Joe Biden and the head of Vietnam's ruling Communist party Nguyen Phu Trong, with the goal of elevating relations to a "strategic" partnership.

Analysts say Hanoi may be more reluctant, wary of upsetting Beijing -- their neighbor to the north and another key economic partner -- despite rival claims in the South China Sea.

"The United States simply sees that it needs Vietnam to counterbalance China in the South China Sea," Khang Vu, an International Security PhD candidate at Boston College in the US, told AFP.

"But it's best for Vietnam to stay on good terms with China. The Vietnamese government understands that there is no way that they can win a military fight."

Earlier this week, China completed military drills around Taiwan in its latest show of force against the self-governing democracy, retaliation against Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen meeting lawmakers in the United States.

A day later, Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held rare joint talks with their Philippine counterparts in Washington following a deal for US forces to use a growing number of bases in the Philippines, including one near Taiwan.

Daniel Kritenbrink, the top US diplomat for East Asia and former ambassador to Hanoi, recently said that Washington and Hanoi were "almost completely aligned on the kind of Indo-Pacific we want to see... where large countries don't bully small countries".

The visit to Vietnam will be Blinken's first as secretary of state. Vice President Kamala Harris has previously visited the country.

As well as meetings with Trong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Blinken will participate in a groundbreaking ceremony for a new US embassy in Hanoi, and discuss support for Vietnam's clean energy transition. -- Agence France-Presse