The U.S. and Vietnam leaders ‘upgrade to partners’ and diversify Russian weapons to ‘replace Korean weapons’

The U.S. and Vietnam leaders ‘upgrade to partners’ and diversify Russian weapons to ‘replace Korean weapons’

The U.S.-Vietnam summit's attempt to upgrade the 'strategic partnership' has become a diversification of Vietnam's purchase of Russian weapons, and Korean weapons are stepping in as 'substitutes'.
"The upgrade of the U.S.-Vietnam strategy will include a security dimension," said Jon Finer, the White House's senior deputy national security adviser. "There are no arms deals to announce at this stage, but the United States and its partners are committed to helping Vietnam diversify away from Russian military supplies." “I can help you do it,” he told reporters on President Biden’s private plane to Vietnam.
Reuters, which reported Finer's remarks, said on the 10th, "Hanoi is holding similar talks with several arms suppliers, including the United States. In recent weeks, Vietnam has held several high-level defense meetings with senior Russian officials." revealed.
Regarding Russian arms diversification, Finer told reporters, “This will help Vietnam reduce its military dependence on Moscow, a relationship we think they are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with.”
On the 10th, US President Joe Biden held a summit meeting with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong at the headquarters of the Communist Party of Vietnam in Hanoi, Vietnam, and agreed to upgrade the relationship between the two countries to a 'comprehensive strategic partnership'.
The United States lifted the arms embargo on Hanoi in 2016.
Regarding the US-Vietnam summit, the NYT said, “If the strategic relationship between the US and Vietnam is strengthened on Sunday (10th), it will become easier for US allies such as Korea to sell advanced weapons to Vietnam,” and “The Ukraine War has resulted in some losses.” “Even before the problems with Russian military hardware were revealed, Hanoi had begun to diversify by using suppliers in Israel and the Czech Republic,” he said.
The United States strengthened sanctions against Russia in 2017, raising the possibility of punishment for countries that do business with Russia's military or intelligence services, and after last year's invasion of Ukraine, the United States removed Russian banks from the global payment system used by Vietnam to purchase military equipment. excluded.
The United States and Vietnam upgraded their relationship from a "comprehensive partnership" to a "strategic partnership" on this day, including strengthening cooperation in the economic and security sectors with China and Russia in mind.
Prior to the summit, the United States revealed documents showing that Vietnam had paid for arms deals with Russia through a “secret deal,” and Reuters and the New York Times subsequently reported on this secret deal.
Reuters said it had seen documents explaining negotiations on a credit facility under which Russia would extend sales of heavy weapons, including anti-ship missiles, anti-submarine aircraft and helicopters, anti-aircraft missile systems and fighter jets, to Vietnam, one of which was signed by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Trinh. A letter sent to the Russian government in February expressed interest in a possible new deal, and a Vietnamese military officer confirmed the authenticity of the letter and said negotiations were underway for a new $8 billion credit facility to purchase heavy weapons.
The New York Times said, “The Treasury Department document, the contents of which were confirmed by current and former Vietnamese officials, suggests that Vietnam modernize its military by secretly paying for defense purchases through bank transfer funds from a Russian-Vietnamese joint oil venture in Siberia. “There is a way,” he said on the 10th.
The NYT continued, “The document, signed by Vietnam's Deputy Finance Minister, noted that Vietnam was negotiating a new arms deal with Russia to 'strengthen strategic trust' at a time when 'Russia is being embargoed by Western countries on all fronts.' “He said.
The Vietnamese Treasury document is a detailed plan of how the Pentagon will pay for the Russian weapons, which were financed by a Russian-Vietnamese joint venture called Rusvietpetro that operates oil and natural gas operations in northern Russia to avoid U.S. scrutiny. It was indicated to be transferred within the investment company's ledgers.
“Our party and country still identify Russia as the most important strategic partner in defense and security,” the document stated.
Two months after the Vietnamese Ministry of Finance's proposal was circulated in writing, Dmitry A. Medvedev, former Russian Prime Minister and current Vice Chairman of the Russian Security Council, paid a private visit to Hanoi.
NYT said, “The visit was barely covered in Vietnamese state media, but Vietnamese officials say he was there to strengthen defense negotiations,” and “An anonymous Vietnamese official said the terms of a new arms agreement with Russia would be $2 billion over eight years.” “It was presented as,” he said.
In the United States' control of payment for Russian arms trade to Vietnam, the issue of human rights oppression by the Vietnamese Communist Party was excluded from its foreign strategy, and in response to this, Vietnam Airlines participated in a $1 billion deal to purchase 50 Boeing 737 Max jets.
The United States included the issue of supplying semiconductor chip engineers, which Vietnam lacks, and a deal to secure the global supply chain of rare earth minerals, which have the largest reserves after China, into this summit.
The NYT said, “Past attempts by U.S. companies to partner with Vietnamese rare earth companies in one recent scheme were not successful,” adding, “Human rights remain controversial, but in response to criticism of restrictions on press freedom, Vietnam has responded to criticism that diplomats have released activists. “We can show good faith by suggesting that it can be done,” he said, announcing the deal’s conclusion.
“If Vietnam continues to buy weapons from Russia, our international reputation will be damaged,” said Nguyen The Phuong, a defense analyst at the University of Economics and Finance in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. “Because it is the mainstay of our exports, it will have a negative impact on Vietnam’s future economic growth and it is not worth it,” he told the NYT.
NYT said, “The Vietnamese military still has deep ties to Russia and historical loyalties are strong,” and “The practical consideration is that Vietnamese fighter and submarine control boards are in the Cyrillic alphabet, so conversion will take time and money, and Vietnam has an abundance of neither.” don't do it New fighter jets are needed after a series of crashes within Russia's aging fighter jet fleet. “One of the reasons for opening up the Russian arms pipeline is that Western arms purchases require more transparency than dealing with Russia,” he said.
“The United States will not want to alienate Vietnam as it seeks to build partnerships and alliances in the region to counter the rise of China,” said Le Hong Hiep, a senior fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute and a former Vietnamese Foreign Ministry official. “I am practicing the art of strategic patience,” he told the NYT.