(Bloomberg) -- The US will most likely continue its current policy of engaging Vietnam in military operations and activities during the incoming Trump administration, the head of US Indo-Pacific Command said at a briefing in Hanoi.
“There has been very little difference from a policy standpoint, from the previous administration to the present administration, on the focus of a free and independent and open Indo-Pacific,” US Admiral Samuel Paparo said at the Hanoi defense expo, referring to the first administration of Donald Trump and the current Biden White House. “I should think that we should continue on with policies, and particularly with military operations and activities, that should demonstrate continuity within the relationship.”
The US sent A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft and a C-130J Super Hercules military transport plane to be on display at Vietnam’s four-day defense expo with representatives from 49 countries.
“We seek to have our great defense companies working here, working with Vietnam, with Vietnamese counterparts on things potentially like joint production” and technology transfers, US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper said.
Vietnam aims to promote “cooperation and development” in foreign relations and defense to build trust for regional peace and stability, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said at the event’s opening. Vietnam seeks to forge foreign policy of self-reliance and diversification of relationships, he said.
The Southeast Asian country has a long-standing territorial dispute in the South China Sea with China, which claims the majority of the area as its territory — an assertion that overlaps with separate claims by Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan as well as the Philippines.
Read: Vietnam, China Hold ‘Frank’ Talks After Alleged Sea Attack
Vietnam aims to have a modern military “to build defense potential strong enough to enhance self-defense and protect the country,” Chinh said.
The US and Vietnam have been gradually expanding defense cooperation since the two nations upgraded bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership last year during the visit of President Joe Biden. Biden and Vietnam’s former party chief Nguyen Phu Trong pledged to further cooperate in defense industry and trade, according to a joint statement of the two leaders. They also agreed to boost dialog for cooperation in maritime law enforcement, maritime security capacity, cybercrime and high-tech crime.
The US said earlier this month that it is donating small boats to Vietnam as part of a $12.5 million foreign assistance package to support maritime law enforcement and combat illegal fishing. It also delivered five training aircraft to Vietnam in November, the first of 12 jets committed by the US Air Force to improve Vietnam’s pilot training program.
“Our goal is to ensure that Vietnam has what it needs to defend its interests at sea, in the air, on the ground and in cyberspace,” Knapper said.
--With assistance from Linh Vu Nguyen.
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