According to three persons with knowledge of the deal’s development, U.S. President Joe Biden will sign a strategic partnership agreement with Vietnam during a state visit to the Southeast Asian nation in mid-September.
Biden sign partnership with Vietnam: According to Politico, the agreement will open up new opportunities for bilateral cooperation and support Vietnam’s aspirations to expand its high technology sector in fields like semiconductor manufacturing and artificial intelligence.
Biden was considering a trip to Vietnam in September, according to a source familiar with the arrangements who spoke to Reuters on Friday.
Vietnam intended to strengthen its ties with the United States and become a significant partner, so Biden said he would be visiting there “shortly” this month.
The White House has not confirmed plans for the trip. The foreign ministry of Vietnam did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday. Pham Thu Hang, a representative for the ministry, did not confirm or reject a potential Biden visit on Thursday.
“High-level leaders of the two countries have agreed and are discussing measures to further deepen bilateral relations in a stable, substantive, and long-term manner, and aiming to upgrade (the relation) to a new level when possible,” Hang stated during a routine press conference.
At a meeting in April, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed a desire to strengthen ties as Washington works to fortify relationships with allies in Asia to oppose an assertive China.
Officials have not specified what the stronger ties may entail, but experts believe it may involve expanded military collaboration and the supply of American weapons.