Vietnam PM, U.S. Blinken express hope for deeper ties

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed hope on Saturday that their nations could improve bilateral ties. Before meeting in the capital Hanoi, Chinh told reporters both sides were “looking to further strengthening, further elevating our bilateral ties to a new height,” after a phone call last month between U.S. President Joe Biden and the head of Vietnam’s ruling Communist party, Nguyen Phu Trong. Blinken, noting that the U.S. and Vietnam mark the 10th anniversary of their formal bilateral partnership in July, said, “We have now hope to be able to take it to an even higher, higher level.” Hanoi faces a delicate test in showing openness to the United States without angering China, a giant neighbour that supplies key inputs for Vietnam’s vital export trade, or Russia, another traditional partner.