South
China Sea and Vietnam
Because Vietnam has a
2,000-mile coastline facing the East Sea (South China Sea) and 50 percent of
its population lives along the coast, the government sees maritime as its
greatest security threat. In 2016, approximately $1.6 billion was earmarked for
maritime defense capabilities, but this is expected to increase to $2 billion
by 2020. The Vietnamese Navy and Air Force had very little capacity to protect
Vietnam’s maritime interests, but over the past decade both services have
undergone some modernization.
In March, following
pressure from China, Vietnam ended a partnership with Repsol to drill for
oil at Vanguard Bank in the South China Sea. The project would have involved
exploration within an area claimed by China. However, Vietnam is
still planning to move ahead with ExxonMobil's lease for the Blue Whale Gas
Field, a 150 billion-cubic-meter find 50 nm off Vietnam's central coast. Exxon announced
the official start of the project last October.
By failing to show up as Vietnam was coerced into a
corner, Washington ultimately failed to live up to supporting the values that
it claims to hold with regard to the future of the regional security
architecture in Asia. The next time Chinese decision-makers seek to authorize
the coercion of a Southeast Asian claimant state in the South China Sea,
they’ll remember that.
Russia is Vietnam’s main
arms supplier and the major platforms acquired from it since 2011 have served
to upgrade Vietnam’s capability to conduct sea operations in the East Sea.
Russia and Vietnam are
comprehensive strategic partners and that relationship has been incessantly
growing based on mutual respect, equality and strategic benefits, he added.
The two nations have continued
collaboration across the board and maintained close coordination in the
international arena. This is particularly meaningful since the two sides share
the same viewpoints in various fields.
Russia and Vietnam have also
paid due attention to developing economic and trade relations through the
implementation of the free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union
(EAEU) and Vietnam along with deals reached by their leaders.
People’s Army Newspaper (Vietnam) Link
The Maritime Executive Link
The Diplomat Link
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