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Vietnam’s human rights achievements have boosted Vietnam - US relationship
Vietnam’s human rights achievements have boosted Vietnam - US relationship
21/5/16
The upcoming visit of US
President Barack Obama to Vietnam is set to promote multifaced links between
the two nations. According to officials
from the White House, during his first ever visit to Vietnam, President Obama
will hold official meetings with Vietnam's leaders to discuss ways for the
US-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership to advance the bilateral cooperation
across a wide range of fields, including economics, people-to-people,
education, security, human rights as well as regional and international issues
of common concern.
Vietnam-US relations recorded
extraordinary developments over the last two decades. Vietnam News Agency correspondents in the US quoted Admund
Malesky, an associate professor of political economy at the US’s Duke
University, saying that this will be a historical visit, which will be likely
to strengthen cooperation in many fields from trade, education to energy.
The Vietnam-US relationship has
experienced bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms after the two
sides normalized relations 21 years ago. Links in security-defense,
education, science-technology, and climate change prevention between the two
countries made significant progresses with the signing of the Joint Vision
Statement in 2015.
Obama will be the third US
consecutive president visiting Vietnam after Bill Clinton in 2000 became the first to
visit since the end of the Vietnam War and George W. Bush visited in 2006. The
Obama administration has sought to improve relations with Hanoi at a time when
Vietnam has signaled a shift to the West as a hedge against China's
increasingly aggressive strategy in the South China Sea. Maritime security and
the freedom of navigation in that crucial shipping corridor are among the main
topics of the summit here. Vietnam is also a member of the 12-nation
Trans-Pacific Partnership, an expansive trade and regulatory pact that includes
the United States, Japan, Mexico and Australia.
The full removal of the
embargo – something Vietnam has long sought – would sweep away one of the last
major vestiges of the Vietnam War era and advance the normalization of
relations begun 21 years ago. It would also likely anger Beijing, which
condemned Obama’s partial lifting of the arms ban in 2014 as an interference in
the region’s balance of power.
On one side of the
internal debate, some White House and State Department aides say it would be
premature to completely end restrictions on lethal military assistance before Vietnam’s
communist government has made more progress on human rights.
Yes, once again, human
rights are still a
contentious issue that stands in the way of a deeper reconciliation between the
former foes. The U.S. caused many pains and losses for the country and people
of Vietnam in the wars. Now, after 21 years of relationship normalization,
Two-way trade increased 90 times from 1994’s figure to 45 billion USD last
year, and the figure is expected to be greater after the Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP) Agreement is officially approved. President Obama will
witness Vietnam’s strong development and increasing expansion of bilateral
ties, he noted. And, there is also many positive signs and achievements in
human rights.
It can be seen
that there are many self-nominees who are not members of the Communist Party of
Vietnam in the 14th National Assembly’s election which is also held at the same
time of the trip. That’s obviously an vivid evidence all can see.
But, it’s such a pity that many U.S. officials still
cling on misunderstandings and prejudices about Vietnam’s human rights
situation. They
are at odds with other officials, including many at the Pentagon, who argue
bolstering Vietnam’s ability to counter a rising China should take priority,
according to people with knowledge of the discussions.
While a number of U.S.
lawmakers favor closer military ties with Vietnam because of shared concerns
about China, others have deep misgivings.
Democratic U.S.
Representative Loretta Sanchez, a member of the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam
who also has a large Vietnamese-American voting bloc in her California
district, said lifting the embargo would be “giving a free pass to a government
that continually harasses, detains and imprisons its citizens.”
Loretta Sanchez should come to Vietnam herself and
witness Vietnam’s progresses not just human rights but many sectors. Other
famous senior who even a former prisoner in wars, Mr. McCain, said the U.S. has learned that lesson,
and service members and veterans are routinely celebrated at sporting events
and public occasions nowadays. But for some veterans, Mr. Obama’s visit is
likely to stir bitter memories of their rejection, he said.
Mr. McCain, a Republican
of Arizona, said his efforts to help normalize relations between Vietnam and
the United States were among the proudest accomplishments of his life, and he
said he had been to Vietnam so often since the war’s end that “I’m recognized
more in the streets of Hanoi than I am in Phoenix.”
According to Daniel
Russel, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs,
President Obama will discuss five essential matters during his trip to Vietnam.
In those, the two nations will continue working with each other to improve
Vietnamese law and respect human rights, which is an important aspect of the
U.S.-Vietnam partnership.
The two sides will discuss and work together to
expand their collaboration in human rights and legal reforms in Viet Nam in
accordance with the country’s 2013 Constitution as well as universal standards./.
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All comments [ 11 ]
In a historic move, the United States may consider lifting an arms embargo on Vietnam in line with U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit.
The move would be historic in the context of U.S.-Vietnam defense ties and the comprehensive partnership more generally, an end to the embargo would be a clear indication that relations have been fully normalized.
Vietnam granted early release from prison to a Catholic priest who is one of its most prominent dissidents. The move is widely viewed as a goodwill gesture before the president arrives in Hanoi.
Obama’s trip also comes as Vietnamese leaders seek to improve U.S. relations as a hedge against China’s more assertive foreign policy.
Vietnam, meanwhile, has enjoyed steady economic growth in recent years thanks to a vast expansion in manufacturing and construction, rising domestic demand and a surge in foreign direct investment.
A historic trip, hope for more positive results.
The timing of President Obama's visit to Hanoi is symbolic: The U.S. war in Vietnam ended 41 years ago in late May. The nations normalized relations 20 years later in 1995 under former President Bill Clinton, who became the first U.S. leader to visit Vietnam since the war ended.
To say that today’s Vietnam bears little resemblance to the one the U.S. fought a war with decades ago does not go far enough.
The United States and Vietnam now cooperate on a broad array of economic, political, security, and educational issues, and are working together to promote regional economic integration and stability.
U.S. policy toward Vietnam since the normalization of relations, especially under the Obama administration, has sought to integrate both strategic elements and firmly held U.S. values, leading to a steady and significant improvement in bilateral ties in recent years.
I do expect the Obama visit to have some positive impact on the region, especially in respect to the South China Sea.
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