The United States and Vietnam are closely colluding with each other and strengthening their military ties with the spearhead directed against China, thereby complicating the South Sea issue, exacerbating the dispute over sovereignty, and turning the South China Sea into the powder keg for triggering Sino-US military conflict. China should treat concerned countries in the South Sea issue differently in order to search for a breakthrough point to resolve the US scheme of sowing discord.

The United States is the super hegemonic power in the world, while Vietnam has not only always wanted to dominate the Indochina Peninsula but also claimed to "own" the entire sovereignty of China's Xisha [Paracel] and Nansha [Spratly] Islands. Vietnam has gone all out to engage in arms expansion and ganged up with foreign powers in a vain attempt to forever occupy most of the island reefs of China's Nansha Islands and the nearby waters.


Vietnam has divided the waters surrounding China's Nansha Islands under Vietnamese occupation into nearly 100 oil and gas bidding zones and signed petroleum and natural gas prospecting contracts successively with the United States, Russia, France, Britain, Germany and other countries in recent years, in an attempt to use the economic interests from oil and gas to lure and win over the aforesaid powers to support its continued occupation of most of the island reefs of China's Nansha Islands and the nearby waters. So far, aside from the United States, which has taken the initiative to collude with Vietnam, Japan and France have also expressed their support for Vietnam.

The United States Woos Vietnam as Ally

At the Japan-Vietnam strategic dialogue held in Hanoi in July this year, Japan promised to help Vietnam build up its armed forces, while Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada also repeatedly emphasized that Japan could not sit by idly and remain indifferent on the South Sea issue. In July this year, the French Foreign Minister said in Vietnam that France would meet Vietnam's demand for all weapons.

The United States has plotted to use the South Sea issue to return to Southeast Asia. On 23 July, US Secretary of State Hillary [Clinton] said at the Asian regional forum in Hanoi, Vietnam, that settlement of the dispute over the sovereignty of relevant islands in the South China Sea would be in line with the US national interests.

Of all concerned countries in the South Sea issue, Vietnam has the biggest contradiction and sharpest and most longstanding dispute with China and is also the strongest militarily. For this reason, the United States has chosen Vietnam as the point of support for rivalry with China and return to Southeast Asia. Washington has claimed the South Sea as US national interests, which are actually hegemonic interests. To intervene in the South Ease issue, the United States has threatened not to rule out military intervention. The United States intends to develop Vietnam as its new ally.

On 5 August, the Captain of USS Blue Ridge aircraft carrier, the flagship of Seventh Fleet, said menacingly: The Chinese Navy should act prudently in "disputed" waters in the South Sea.

On 8 August, the USS George Washington aircraft carrier visited Da Nang City in central Vietnam and received a Vietnamese military delegation on board while at anchor in the South Sea wasters near Da Nang.

On 10 August, the USS John McCain guided missile destroyer visited Vietnam. When Captain Jeffery Kim of Korean descendent and his sailors on board the ship arrived at the Tien Sa Port of Da Nang City, they received a warm welcome from the Vietnamese Navy. The ship went to the sea the next morning and, together with the Vietnamese Navy, conducted a 4-day training in air defence, emergency maintenance and repair, and fire prevention. The USS George Washington aircraft carrier also took part in the training. Commenting on the training, an official of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence said ecstatically: Of late, Viet nam has been especially disturbed "by China's territorial ambition." "The appearance of US military vessels in Vietnamese seaports has tremendous strategic significance." "I believe that the United States can play an even more important role in this region."

Both Sides Have Strategic Interests

Obviously the visits to Vietnam by the US aircraft carrier and guided missile destroyer on 8 and 10 August and the joint training with the Vietnamese Navy are spearheaded against China and bound to deal a serious blow to Sino-US and Sino-Vietnamese relations.

On 5 August, the US Wall Street Journal reported: The US-Vietnam negotiations on sharing nuclear fuel and technology have entered the final stage. The United States has even considered allowing Vietnam to enrich uranium on its own. The report said: Under US-Vietnam nuclear cooperation, US businesses will be allowed to sell nuclear parts and reactors to Vietnam. In 2001, the United States and Vietnam signed an agreement on supply of nuclear fission fuel and development of nuclear energy for civilian use. Vuong Huu Tan, president of the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute, said: The two sides reached a tentative agreement on nuclear cooperation in March this year, which is expected to finalize later this year. This is another concrete example of the US double standards on countries enriching uranium on their own.

The Vietnam War ended in 1975. In 1995, Vietnam and the United States buried the hatchet and established diplomatic relations. Since the first US military vessel's visit to Ho Chi Minh City in 2003, bilateral military ties have continued to deepen, including meetings and training of high-level military officers. In 2009, the USS John Stennis aircraft carrier, Seventh Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge aircraft carrier, and guided missile destroyer Lassen visited Vietnam successively.

Washington wants to turn Vietnam into the point of support for US return to Southeast Asia, while Vietnam hopes to rely on US power to expand maritime rights and increase Hanoi's bargaining chips to play a bigger role in the international arena. Such strategic common interests have become the chief propelling force for the rapid development of US-Vietnam relations in recent years. In the initial period of the establishment of diplomatic ties, US-Vietnam relations were focused mainly on humanitarian aid. Since the turn of this century, bilateral relations have entered the stage of vigorous growth. The United States helped Vietnam become a WTO member; the volume of bilateral trade had increased 38.5 times from $400 million at the time of the establishment of diplomatic relations to $15.4 billion in 2009; the United States is currently the largest investor nation in Vietnam; and the number of Vietnamese students in the United States has increased from 800 at the time of the establishment of diplomatic relations to 13,000 at the present, an increase of 16.25 times.

However, Vietnam is not satisfied with the bilateral relations only in economic, trade, cultural, and educational fields. Hanoi wishes, even more, to increase cooperation with the United States in the military and defence aspects. While the US and Vietnamese militaries have carried out frequent high-level exchanges of visits, the two countries' armed forces have plans for strengthening cooperation. Washington intends to provide military training for Vietnamese officers, while Vietnam also hopes to dispatch military officers to study in the US military academies. During her visit to Vietnam in July this year, US Secretary of State Hillary exchanged views with Vietnamese leaders about bilateral military exchanges and cooperation in defence affairs.

The South China Sea Becomes the Powder Keg

In a nutshell, the United States and Vietnam are closely colluding with each other and strengthening their military ties with the spearhead directed against China, thereby complicating the South Sea issue, exacerbating the dispute over sovereignty, and turning the Sou th China Sea into the powder keg for triggering Sino-US military conflict.

The new US strategy towards China aims to deepen the encirclement of China, step up efforts to curb China's development, and exploit the South Sea issue to drive a wedge in relations between China and the ASEAN in Southeast Asia. While resolving the US scheme of sowing discord and safeguarding the maritime rights in the South China Sea, China should maintain friendly and cooperative relations with the ASEAN, which pose a test to the Chinese leaders' wisdom. As the ASEAN is consisted of countries important to China, both China and the ASEAN should cherish the friendly and cooperative relations.

Vietnam's willingness to be the US foot soldier will put itself in a treacherous position. It is easy to invite a god to your house but difficult to ask it to leave. It will be too late to regret when independence is lost. If [Vietnam] remember "comrade plus brother," it should not requite kindness with ingratitude.

Countries involved in the South Sea issue are not monolithic bloc. When Vietnam promoted internationalization of the South Sea issue, Philippine Foreign Minister Romulo openly opposed US intervention in the South Sea issue. China should treat concerned countries in the South Sea issue differently in order to search for a breakthrough point to resolve the US scheme of sowing discord.

Source: Ta Kung Pao website, Hong Kong, in Chinese 20 Aug 10