By Augustus K. Yeung
INTRODUCTION
Amid high fear and great pain, that little Vietnamese teenage girl – who was catching fire from a napalm bomb, running naked – absorbed the world's fancy, stirred people's heart; this was the stunning picture posted on the front page of Time magazine, a living testimony of America's atrocity in the Vietnam War (1954-75).
But times have changed: A war-torn Vietnam needed to change to meet the challenge of the new century. It has turned resilient.
To know how Vietnam is charting its course, posing as a surprise for China in the disputes over South China Sea, listen to Hillary Clinton.
"In 2000, Bill and I went to Hanoi, the first visit by a U.S. President. We were prepared to find resentment…However, everywhere we went we felt the warmth and hospitality of the Vietnamese people, a reflection of the goodwill that had developed between our countries in the span of a single generation…" wrote Hillary Clinton in her memoir, HARD CHOICES.
"I marveled at how far Vietnam had come since that visit and how our relations continued to improve. Our annual trade had grown to nearly $20 billion in 2021 from less than $250 million before relations were normalized, and it was expanding rapidly every year. Vietnam also presented a unique – though challenging – strategic opportunity."
"On the one hand, it remained an authoritarian country with a poor record on human rights, especially press freedoms. On the other, it was steadily taking steps to open up its economy, trying to claim a larger role in the region," wrote the opportunistic Secretary of State.
THE TPP, WASHINGTON'S MOST IMPORTANT TOOL FOR WOOING VIETNAM
One of US' most important tools of engaging with Vietnam was a proposed new trade agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would link markets through Asia and the Americas.
And it was a strategic initiative that would strengthen the position of the United States in Asia.
"Vietnam stood to gain a lot from this deal – the TPP would cover a third of world trade – so its leaders were willing to make some reforms to reach an agreement. As negotiations gained momentum, other countries in the region felt the same way. The TPP became the signature economic pillar of American strategy in Asia," wrote Clinton.
COLLUDING WITH U.S., VIETNAM RAISED THE CONTENTIOUS ISSUE
On the afternoon of July 22, the ASEAN regional meetings began in Hanoi, the rotating member that chaired the discussions on trade, climate change, human trafficking, nuclear proliferation, etc. But as the meetings stretched into the second day, there was the special topic on the South China Sea, skillfully designed by Clinton.
The night before, she gathered her Asian team to review their plans. They spent hours fine-tuning the statement she had made for the next day.
As soon as the ASEAN session started, the drama began to build. Vietnam got the ball rolling. Despite China's objections to discussing the South China Sea in this setting, Vietnam raised the contentious issue. Other Ministers expressed their concerns and called for a collaborative, multilateral approach to resolving territorial disputes.
Clinton urged the region's nations to protect unfettered "access to the South China Sea" and to work toward "developing a code of conduct" that would prevent conflict. The U.S. was prepared to facilitate this process because it saw "freedom of navigation in the South China Sea as a national interest," Clinton unfolded her statement.
Yang Jiechi, China's top diplomat, dismissed the disputes in the South China Sea and warned against outside interference.
"The confrontation in Hanoi did not resolve the contests in the South and East China Seas; the issues remain active and dangerous. But in subsequent years, diplomats in the region would point to that meeting as a tipping point, both in terms of American leadership in Asia and in the pushback against Chinese overreach," Hillary Clinton was hilarious.
But, not for long. During one long discussion with Dai Bingguo, China's seasoned senior diplomat, exclaimed, "Why don't you 'pivot' out of here?" "But it paid off," said Hillary, "the United States had climbed out of the hole we found ourselves in at the beginning of the Obama administration – and reasserted America's presence in the region."
CONCLUSION
Among Southeast Asian nations – balancing relations between Beijing and Washington – arguably none has as fine a line to navigate as Vietnam: The country's strategic importance to both put it at the center of their rivalry.
That was apparent in recent talks between Wang Yi and his Vietnamese counterpart, Bui Thanh Son, on the sidelines of a Mekong River cooperation meeting in Myanmar.
Noting the socialist values shared by their communist governments and common strategic interests, Wang highlighted the gains to be made from China's "high-value opening up" and stressed the need to maintain communications. Son reassured Wang that Beijing was Hanoi's top diplomatic priority.
Such is also the case between Hanoi and Washington: Vietnam has been accused by the United States of many of the same claimed violations of rights and freedoms as China and is involved in trade and currency disputes; Hanoi, like Beijing, has refused to condemn Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine; however, it has significantly avoided American tariffs, sanctions, and other punishments. Why?
US President Joe Biden is eager for Vietnam to join its push to create a Nato-like security grouping in Asia – to project power against China.
For now, to maintain equilibrium, Vietnam will not easily advance relations with one power at the expense of another, a lesson it has learned, thanks to Hillary Clinton.
The author is a freelance writer; formerly Adjunct Lecturer, taught MBA Philosophy of Management, and International Strategy, and online columnist of 3-D Corner (HKU SPACE), University of Hong Kong.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
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