Amid China’s growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific Region, the US is considering lifting the arms embargo against Vietnam ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit to Hanoi on May 23. The US is planning to expand weapon sales to Vietnam, which has been vocal against Beijing’s claims in South China Sea, to bolster regional defence partnerships to counter China’s rise in the region.
In the 1990s, the US government lifted the trade embargo but left in place restrictions imposed by the Congress to prohibit sales of weapons and certain high-technology material. The US and Vietnam restored diplomatic relations in 1995. Mr Obama eased the restrictions on sales of maritime surveillance and security systems to Vietnam in 2014. This move allowed the sale of US patrol boats with mounted machine guns, search-and-rescue vessels and naval reconnaissance aircraft.
In June 2015, the US pledged $18 million to help Vietnam buy American-made Metal Shark patrol boats. The deal came through after a Chinese navy ship attacked a Vietnamese patrol boat in the South China Sea.
The Obama administration has sought to rebalance its policy towards Asia and the Pacific and sees a larger role for countries like India, Japan and Vietnam in the region. The US has been asking China to settle disputes with Vietnam in South China Sea. US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter, who visited Vietnam in June 2015, said that he would support easing of weapons sale to Vietnam.
This visit by Mr Obama is seen as significant since the arms embargo could mark the end of the Vietnam War era.
(Sridhar Ramaswamy contributed inputs for this article)
Author Profile
- India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) is an emerging think tank and a media-publishing company focused on international affairs & the India Story. Centre for Global India Insights is the research arm of India Writes Network. To subscribe to India and the World, write to editor@indiawrites.org. A venture of TGII Media Private Limited, a leading media, publishing and consultancy company, IWN has carved a niche for balanced and exhaustive reporting and analysis of international affairs. Eminent personalities, politicians, diplomats, authors, strategy gurus and news-makers have contributed to India Writes Network, as also “India and the World,” a magazine focused on global affairs.
Latest entries
DiplomacyApril 23, 2024Resetting West Asia, re-booting the world, but not fast enough: T.S. Tirumurti- India and the WorldApril 22, 2024India’s G20 Legacy: Mainstreaming Africa, Global South in global agenda
- DiplomacyApril 10, 2024Diplomat-author Lakshmi Puri pitches for women power at LSR
- India and the WorldApril 6, 2024UN envoy pitches to take India’s solutions to the world stage
