Japan to provide patrol ships to Vietnam amid maritime row with China | Thanh Nien Daily

An aerial view shows Japan Coast Guard patrol ship, fishing boats from Taiwan and Taiwan’s Coast Guard vessel sailing side by side near the disputed islands in the East China Sea, known as Senkaku in Japan, Diaoyu in China and Tiaoyutai in Taiwan, in this photo taken by Kyodo in this file photo dated September 25, 2012.

RELATED NEWS Japan to provide planes, ships for Philippines amid sea dispute with China Japan eyes record defence budget to develop anti-ship missiles Japan protests after Chinese navy ship sails near disputed islands Japan pledges support for Southeast Asia security to counter coercive China Japan considers providing new ships to Vietnam’s coast guard.

The Japanese government said on Wednesday it is ready to provide Vietnam with new patrol ships, in its latest step to boost the maritime law-enforcement capabilities of countries locked in territorial rows with China.On Tuesday, Japan agreed to provide two large patrol ships and lend up to five used surveillance aircraft to the Philippines, another country at odds with China over sovereignty issues in the South China Sea.Japan itself has been at loggerheads with China over a group of tiny, uninhabited East China Sea islets.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, of Tokyo’s intention in their meeting on the sidelines of ASEAN-related meetings in Vientiane.Japan has already provided six patrol ships to Vietnam, but they were all used ones, a Japanese foreign ministry official said, adding that details such as the timing of the delivery and the number of ships to be provided have yet to be fixed.Japan plans to extend a low-interest loan under its official development assistance program to Vietnam to facilitate the acquisition.”

Source: Japan to provide patrol ships to Vietnam amid maritime row with China | Politics | Thanh Nien Daily

Việt Nam- Singapore hold 8th defence policy dialogue – VietNam News

Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Nguyễn Chí Vịnh and Singaporean Permanent Secretary for Defence Chan Yeng Kit co-chaired the 8th Việt Nam-Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue in Hà Nội yesterday.– Photo vovworld.vn

“HÀ NỘI – Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Nguyễn Chí Vịnh and Singaporean Permanent Secretary for Defence Chan Yeng Kit co-chaired the 8th Việt Nam-Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue in Hà Nội yesterday. The two sides exchanged views on security issues in the Asia-Pacific region and reviewed recent cooperation between the two countries’ armed forces. Both sides agreed that the bilateral defence partnership has made good progress with positive results in terms of exchange visits, dialogue mechanisms, consultation, training, army medicine, maritime security, and search and rescue.

Both sides agreed to further enhance defence cooperation in the future to match the strategic partnership between the two countries. They will continue maintaining defence policy dialogues at deputy minister level, the main pillar of the two nations’ defence cooperation, to discuss strategic issues and develop cooperation plans for strengthening ties. They will also support each other at multilateral forums and work to heighten ASEAN’s central role in regional security architectures.”

Source: Việt Nam, Singapore hold 8th defence policy dialogue – Politics & Laws – Vietnam News | Politics, Business, Economy, Society, Life, Sports – VietNam News

 

David Lindsay:  I need sources for more detail about the problems that were discussed, especially the encroachment of China in the South China Sea.

Vietnam Arms Embargo to Be Fully Lifted, Obama Says in Hanoi – The New York Times

HANOI, Vietnam — The United States is rescinding a decades-old ban on sales of lethal military equipment to Vietnam, President Obama announced at a news conference in Hanoi on Monday, ending one of the last legal vestiges of the Vietnam War.

The United States has long made lifting the embargo contingent on Vietnam’s improving its human rights record, and recently administration officials had hinted that the ban could be removed partly in response to China’s buildup in the South China Sea.But Mr. Obama portrayed the decision as part of the long process of normalizing relations between the two countries after the Vietnam War.“The decision to lift the ban was not based on China or any other considerations,” he said, with the Vietnamese president, Tran Dai Quang, standing stiffly by his side. “It was based on our desire to complete what has been a lengthy process of moving toward normalization with Vietnam.

”Mr. Obama insisted that the move should not be interpreted as carte blanche for weapons sales to Vietnam and that the United States would review future arms sales to “examine what’s appropriate and what’s not,” as it does with any country.

As for human rights, he said, “this is an area where we still have differences.”Human rights advocates, who had asked Mr. Obama to hold off on lifting the ban until Vietnam had released some prominent political prisoners and promised to stop the police beatings of protesters, condemned the decision.“President Obama just gave Vietnam a reward that they don’t deserve,” said John Sifton, the Asia policy director of Human Rights Watch.Mr. Quang defended his country’s rights record.“The consistent position and viewpoint of the Vietnamese government is to protect and promote human rights,” he said, adding, “Those achievements have been highly recognized and appreciated by the international community.

”American officials have portrayed lifting the embargo as part of a strategy to help Vietnam defend itself against an increasing threat from China in the South China Sea. Analysts have speculated that in return, Vietnam would grant the United States access to the deepwater port at Cam Ranh Bay.While there were no statements about such a deal on Monday, Mr. Obama did announce new commercial agreements worth more than $16 billion, including one in which Boeing will sell 100 aircraft and Pratt & Whitney will sell 135 advanced aircraft engines to VietJet Air, a privately owned low-cost airline.

Source: Vietnam Arms Embargo to Be Fully Lifted, Obama Says in Hanoi – The New York Times

Access to Bay Adds Enticement as U.S. Weighs Lifting Vietnam Embargo, By Jane Perlez – The New York Times

“CAM RANH BAY, Vietnam — The ghosts of the Vietnam War have finally faded at the strategic port of Cam Ranh Bay. More than 40 years ago, United States forces left this massive base where Marines landed, B-52s loaded up for bombing raids, and wounded American soldiers were treated.Now, some Vietnamese say they are yearning for the American military to return.“

On Facebook, there was a question recently: What do you want from President Obama’s visit?” said Vo Van Tao, 63, who fought as a young North Vietnamese infantry soldier against the United States. “Some people said they wanted democracy. I said I wanted the Americans to come back to Cam Ranh Bay. A lot of people agreed with me.”

Mr. Obama is scheduled to arrive in Vietnam on Sunday, the third visit by an American president since the war ended. The big question he is expected to answer is whether Washington will lift a partial arms embargo and allow Vietnam to buy lethal weapons from the United States. The Communist government has long asked for the ban to be revoked, and American access to Cam Ranh Bay could be part of the payoff.For the White House, the decision on lifting the embargo has come down to a debate over trying to improve Vietnam’s poor human rights record versus enabling Vietnam to better defend itself against an increasing threat from China in the South China Sea.”

Source: Access to Bay Adds Enticement as U.S. Weighs Lifting Vietnam Embargo – The New York Times

 

My comment to the NYT:

David Lindsay

Hamden, CT

Excellent article. I agree with Secretary Ashton Carter, that the US should lift the arms embargo for Vietnam, without requiring them to change their totalitarian ways. We Americans live in a glass house. We have more of our people imprisoned than almost anyone on earth, including the Vietnamese. The Vietnamese need us, and we need them. They have repelled Chinese invasions at least seven times before the 20th century, when they repelled another Chinese invasion in about 1979. Since 937 AD, the Vietnamese have repeatedly contained China from colonizing Southeast Asia.

David Lindsay is about to publish “The Tay Son Rebellion, a historical fiction of Vietnam, 1770-1802.” He blogs at OnVietnamAndtheWorld.wordpress.com.