By Zhai Kun
A sizable economic and trade delegation headed by Vietnamese
President Nguyen Minh Triet arrived in Washington on Monday for an
official visit to the United States. This is the first time a
Vietnam head of state has stepped onto US soil since the Vietnam
War ended 32 years ago.
There is no doubt that the US-Vietnam relationship has taken a
historic leap forward from normalization of diplomatic ties to
further cooperation. For Vietnam, the significance not only lies in
the efforts to wipe away the shadow of the Vietnam War. Looking
ahead, it also further clarifies the country's foreign strategy - a
new breakthrough in its major power diplomacy.
The end of the Cold War and resolution of the Southeast Asian
hot issue laid the foundation for Vietnam to improve its once
terrible foreign relations. It sees China and the US as the most
important of the major powers.
It is the right strategic decision for Vietnam to leave behind
its bitter history with these two nations and move forward.
The normalization of official relations with China in 1991 and
with the US in 1995 constitutes two significant breakthroughs for
Vietnam diplomacy. Since then, its foreign environment has been
improving, allowing the nation to focus on reform and opening to
the world.
Sino-Vietnam relations have been improving since 1991, as
high-level exchanges became more frequent, with heads of the two
states paying regular visits like relatives.
In contrast to Sino-Vietnam relations, US-Vietnam ties have gone
through a difficult process. Entering the 21st century, their
fluctuating bilateral ties achieved a sudden spike upward.
In 2000, then US Defense Secretary William Cohen visited
Vietnam, followed by then President Bill Clinton as the first US
head of state to visit post-war Vietnam. In late 2001, the
US-Vietnam trade agreement took effect. In 2003 Pham Van Tra became
the first Vietnamese defense minister to visit America, while US
naval warships made a historic port call at Ho Chi Min City.
In 2005, Vietnam Premier Phan Van Khai became the first
high-ranking Vietnamese government official to visit the US.
In November 2006, US President George W. Bush attended that
year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit held in Hanoi and
paid his first friendly visit to the Southeast Asian nation.
President Nguyen Van Triet's visit to America is a reciprocal
gesture of the highest order.
The improved relations with major powers have produced immediate
results in Vietnam's drive to innovate and open to the world.
Today, Vietnam is the fastest growing economy in Southeast Asia.
It has sustained a growth rate of more than 7 percent in recent
years, second only to China in Asia, and is now the most lively
"little tiger" on the world's largest continent.
Both the US and China are Vietnam's key trading partners. The
total value of US-Vietnam trade in 2004 reached US$7 billion, while
that of Sino-Vietnam trade exceeded US$6 billion.
Last year trade between Vietnam and the US topped US$9.7
billion. The US is now Vietnam's largest export market. The
Sino-Vietnam trade was valued at over US$10 billion.
Both the US and China have approved Vietnam's World Trade
Organization (WTO) membership. This means that a ticket into the
global economic system has been given to Vietnam by the world's
largest developing nation as well as the largest developed
nation.
It is almost certain that Vietnam will continue to push forward
its strategic relations with the US.
It is Vietnam's strategic decision as a nation focused primarily
on development to enhance cooperation with the US to improve its
foreign environment.
It also has the social foundation for developing bilateral ties
with the US. Two-thirds of Vietnam's 82-million people were born
after the Vietnam War and half of all Vietnamese are aged 25 or
younger. This younger generation more or less knows about or envies
American culture and way of life. Brands such as Microsoft, IBM and
Coca Cola have become part of their lives. Vietnamese leaders like
to meet Bill Gates.
At the same time, because of different social systems,
historical issues and the huge gap between levels of development,
the two countries will find it difficult to further develop
high-level ties in the foreseeable future. Each time the US
launched a war, from Kosovo to Iraq, and each time it instigated or
supported a "democratic revolution", be it in Ukraine or
Uzbekistan, it gave rise to suspicions on Vietnam's part.
Vietnam will surely further enhance its good neighbor relations
with China. The two countries have an inseparable geopolitical bond
and China's development brings opportunities to Vietnam.
If China's reform and opening efforts can be described as
"crossing the river by feeling the stones" - in the words of Deng
Xiaoping, Vietnam's opening to the world should be seen as
benefiting from China's experience, which has dramatically reduced
the cost of repeating mistakes.
Currently, China remains the major power in the closest
relationship with Vietnam. However, the two nations are still
divided over the South China Sea territorial issue, though they
have reached the consensus to resolve their differences
peacefully.
Vietnam has long been a country looking for its own place around
major powers. As history testifies, it has never worked for Vietnam
to stand against or lean on a major power.
The post-Cold War reality has shown that a diplomacy dealing
with the major powers gives Vietnam more leverage for self-decision
and paves the way for economic development.
The author is head of the Southeast Asia and Oceania Studies
Division of the China Institutes of Contemporary International
Relations.
(China Daily June 22, 2007)
