In Hanoi on July 22, Vietnam Foreign Minister Khiem
presents
a painting to Secretary of State Clinton made from gemstones.
The painting is a rendering of a photo taken in 2000,
of Clinton
and her daughter Chelsea in traditional Vietnamese hats.
Global Times, People's
Republic of China
The Vietnamese Should
Beware of America's 'Suspicious Cozying Up'
Is American butting in where it doesn't belong when it
says that settling territorial disputes in the South China Sea is a matter of U.S.
national security? According to
this editorial from China's state-controlled Global Times, by cozying up
to a former adversary in pursuit of its own interests, Washington is practicing the
kind of diplomacy 'it is good at."
While the U.S. media pay little attention to the exhaustive travels of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, America's friends and adversaries watch very carefully, as this article from China's state-controlled media shows.
In another sign that the United
States is "back in Southeast Asia," it has begun to approach its old
adversary in the region. During her two-day stay in Vietnam last week, U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hailed economic cooperation, promised to resolve
the legacy of Agent Orange, and praised the unlimited potential of improved U.S.-Vietnam
relations.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
When the U.S. claimed, on
Vietnamese soil, that it's in the U.S. national interest to resolve the
disputes in the South China Sea, the message was clear. [reference to, among
other claims, the issue of the Spratly Islands, some
or all of which are claimed by People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Malaysia, the
Philippines, and Vietnam].
Embracing a former adversary
for broader strategic gains is the kind of diplomacy that the United States is
good at. It is true that there conflict remains between China and Vietnam over
disputed waters and natural resources. Both are hot-button issues that tend
trigger public resentment on both sides. And it is also true that this is an
obstacle to deepening bilateral ties between China and Vietnam.
But from a historical
perspective, the two countries have overcome the shadow of past military
clashes. China has been Vietnam's largest trading partner for five consecutive
years.
Charting a reform road similar
to China's, Vietnam is benefiting from an economic boom and political stability
that is the envy of neighboring countries. The desire for mutual economic
benefit surpasses this dispute over sea territories and it lays a solid foundation
for resolving the dispute peacefully.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
Two weeks ago, the two sides
finished the demarcation of a 1,300-kilometer long land boundary. Six years
ago, the two sides inked a treaty over maritime boundaries at Beibei Gulf,
setting a reference point for resolving other issues involving disputed waters
in the South China Sea.
Under pressure to maintain influence
and guard against the rise of China, the West is eager to cozy up to Vietnam
and other Southeast Asian countries. Meanwhile, Western media enjoys poisoning
Sino-Vietnamese ties by painting China as "an elephant" more than
able to trample on the interests of Vietnam.
Vietnam should take care to
avoid becoming a U.S. chess piece as America pursues its broader regional
agenda. China doesn't include Vietnam in its sphere of influence. The two
countries are building normal nation-to-nation relations and can find ways to avoid
being taken advantage of by other countries and resolve disputes peacefully.
