Hanoi, Vietnam – When Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and United States President Joe Biden upgraded diplomatic relations to their highest level last weekend, Chinese officials responded by raising the spectre of a new Cold War playing out in Southeast Asia.
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning advised Washington to discard its “hegemonic and Cold War mentality” when asked about Trong and Biden signing up to a comprehensive strategic partnership equal to Beijing’s own relations with Vietnam.
Mao said that Washington should “abide by basic norms governing international relations” when dealing with Asian nations.
“We ask the US to <a href="https://news.ad-astra.icu/vietnamese-disagree-with-chinas-perception-of-cold-war-mentality-in-us-vietnam-pact.html” title=”Vietnamese Disagree with China's Perception of 'Cold War Mentality' in US-Vietnam Pact”>respect regional countries’ shared aspiration for stability, cooperation and development,” she said, pointing out that Vietnam had “stressed on multiple occasions” that its relationship with Beijing was a “top priority in the country’s foreign affairs”.
US officials swiftly rejected claims that cosying up to Vietnam’s rulers – whom the US once fought a war against – was a chess board move in a new confrontation with China in the Indo-Pacific region.
Source from www.aljazeera.com
