The Foreign Service Journal, April 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2015 65 The move allows Hanoi to purchase radar and Coast Guard ves- sels to enforce its marine territory, but it still wants Washington to lift the ban entirely. Dealing with China Part of this warming of security ties has undoubtedly been driven by tensions in the economically strategic South China Sea, where Beijing, Vietnam’s northern neighbor and longtime communist ally, has pressed its so-called “Nine-Dash Line” claim. In particular, China has occasionally cut the seismic cable of Vietnamese oil exploration vessels and arrested Vietnamese fishermen around the Paracel Islands, which are claimed by Vietnam but have been controlled by China since the 1970s. Tensions escalated in May 2014 when China moved a deep- water oil rig, accompanied by several naval vessels and scores of other ships, into water off the Paracel Islands to explore for oil. In a standoff over the next two months, the two countries harassed each other’s ships, ramming them and firing water cannons. In mid-July, at the height of typhoon season and just before a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, a regional security dialogue in which China and the United States partici- pate, Beijing withdrew the rig, declaring it had completed its exploration activities. Despite tensions between Hanoi and Beijing, China is by far Vietnam’s largest trading partner and a major investor. China provides electricity to northern Vietnam and supplies many of the inputs for two of its largest exports, garments and rice. Vietnam appreciates the U.S. approach, which calls for all parties to the South China Sea dispute to manage their differ- ences peacefully and in accordance with international law, while remaining neutral on questions of territorial sovereignty over the sea’s land features. However, Hanoi has moved cautiously in expanding its naval cooperation and military ties with the United States, both over concern about irritating China and lingering resentment of the United States among some senior generals. Hanoi’s relations have warmed dramatically with its South- east Asian neighbors, even though ASEAN once pressured Vietnam to withdraw its forces from Cambodia. Today, Vietnam is one of the most active members of the 10-nation grouping and uses the ASEAN Regional Forum and East Asia Summit as vehicles to challenge China’s actions in the South China Sea. Working together, Vietnam and the United States were a driv- ing force in the 2010 establishment of the ASEAN Defense Minis- ters Meeting Plus, an 18-nation security forum whose members include Australia, China, India and Japan, where senior defense officials discuss regional security challenges. Grassroots Efforts Bear Fruit People-to-people engagement between Vietnam and the United States has been at the forefront of efforts to boost bilat- eral relations. Over the past two decades, Vietnamese students have become the largest contingent of Southeast Asians studying in the United States. Today there are 16,000 Vietnamese studying in U.S. colleges, some supported by U.S. government programs but most by their families. A key factor driving these numbers is the low quality of university education in Vietnam. It also does not hurt that the United States is viewed favorably by 76 percent of Vietnamese, according to a July 2014 Pew Research Center survey. Washington and Hanoi are cooperating in efforts to open a private, nonprofit Fulbright University in Vietnam. Congress has approved nearly $18 million of the $70 million needed to estab- lish the university, and organizers are now looking for funding fromU.S. and Vietnamese companies. The organizers are seeking approval to name an independent board of governors and a guar- antee that it will be granted independence in choosing its teachers and curriculum. The two countries are also increasing joint efforts to address Vietnam’s environmental challenges resulting from population growth, industrialization and the impact of climate change. The Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam is threatened by the construc- tion of hydropower dams along the Mekong River by China and Laos, Vietnam’s neighbor to the west. The dams disrupt the flow of fish, reduce the arrival of silt and cut the flow of water, resulting in rising salinity in the low-lying Delta. During his 2013 visit, Sec. Kerry announced a $17 million aid program to help communities in the Delta deal with environmental degradation and adapt to climate change. Hanoi and Washington are also actively pursuing a possible visit to Vietnam by President Barack Obama this November, when he will be in nearby Malaysia and the Philippines for two regional summits. Whether the visit takes place will likely depend on progress in such areas as human rights in Vietnam, the prospects for increased trade and investment under the TPP agreement and closer military ties between the two countries. n Despite tensions between Hanoi and Beijing, China is by far Vietnam’s largest trading partner and a major investor.