Is the United States courting former foe Vietnam and seeking stronger diplomatic - and defense - ties?

This question comes to light as the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visits Vietnam, becoming the highest American military officer to visit the communist nation since 1971, when the Vietnam war ended. He is also the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to visit the country since American forces evacuated Saigon back then.

Like Us on Facebook

During his visit, U.S. Army General Martin E. Dempsey met with the Vietnamese Prime Minister and discussed ways by which the U.S. could help expand Vietnam's maritime capabilities, at a time when tensions are high over conflicting claims in the South China Sea.

Vietnam is at loggerheads with China over the latter's recent deployment of a large offshore oil platform in a portion of the South China Sea that both countries are claiming.

He also raised further the possibility of lifting the arms embargo that the U.S. imposed on Vietnam in 1984 as a consequence of the latter's human rights record.

"I think in the near term there will be a discussion on how to lift it," Dempsey told reporters in a press conference at Ho Chi Minh City

He also hinted that if the embargo would be lifted, priority will be on the supply of assets for the Vietnamese navy.

"My military advice ... will be, if it is lifted, that we begin with assets that would make the Peoples' Navy more capable in the maritime domain. That would generate a conversation on what that means, but I think the maritime domain is the place of our greatest common security interest right now," the general said.

Senator John McCain, R-Arizona, who served in Vietnam and was a prisoner of war, also spoke about the possibility of "modifying the arms embargo" when he visited Hanoi earlier this month. The senator also indicated he would lobby for congressional support for the lifting of the arms embargo to help Vietnam achieve better military capability.

General Dempsey graduated from West Point as the Vietnam War was coming to a conclusion and never served there. But observers say his visit capped a vibrant effort by the United States and Vietnam to reconnect.

Vietnamese official media reported Dempsey's meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Hanoi on Thursday, where he conveyed the U.S. wish to "become a good partner of Vietnam."

he Joint Chiefs chairman also conferred with Defense Minister General Phung Quang Thanh, and the Vietnamese military's most senior officer, Gen. Do Ba Ty, who last year traveled to Washington.

TagsVietnam