Qiushi Theory carried an article on the U.S. and Vietnam relationship. It relied heavily on quotes from an interview with Yuan Zheng, Deputy Director of the Division of American Foreign Policy Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article said that the relationship between the U.S. and Vietnam is warming up due to the economic and strategic benefits that both countries are seeking from each other. According to the article, the amount of goods traded both ways between the U.S. and Vietnam has increased from US$450 million in 1995 to the current annual amount of US$36 billion. In addition to maintaining the U.S. as the largest export market for clothing and shoes, Vietnam also wishes to benefit from the Trans-Pacific Partnership that the U.S. is working on. From a strategic perspective, Vietnam is trying to use the U.S. to balance China, while the U.S. effort to improve its relationship with Vietnam is an important part of the U.S. Asia and Pacific strategy. The article said that differences still exist between the U.S. and Vietnam as the U.S. will use human rights as an excuse to control Vietnam. Meanwhile there is no independent union in Vietnam, which will be a disadvantage for Vietnam during the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. The article also predicted that Vietnam still has reservations about the U.S. and that it is unlikely that it will lean totally towards the U.S.
Source: Qiushi Theory, August 11, 2015
http://www.qstheory.cn/international/2015-08/11/c_1116216614.htm