What are US officials up to taking turns to visit Vietnam?

华盛顿高官接连访越,有何盘算

Source
China Military Online
Editor
Li Jiayao
Time
2021-08-03 17:16:15

成汉平

By Cheng Hanping

继美国国防部长奥斯汀之后,美国副总统哈里斯计划在8月访问新加坡和越南。此外,国务卿布林肯将从8月2日到6日陆续参加5场和东盟的部长级视频会议。拜登政府对东南亚开展的繁忙行程中,它对越南的看重尤其值得关注。

Following the US Secretary of Defense Austin, Vice President Harris also plans to visit Singapore and Vietnam in August, and Secretary of State Blinken will participate in five video conferences with ASEAN ministers from August 2 to 6. Amid such a busy schedule in Southeast Asia, the importance attached by the Biden administration to Vietnam is worth special attention.

究其原因,不外乎两个主要战略意图。其一,铆足劲拉拢越南,企图使越南成为Quad+的附加伙伴成员。

America’s strong interests in Vietnam are motivated by two strategic intentions. First, it wants to make Vietnam an additional partner to the Quad+.

早在去年疫情全球暴发之初,越南参加Quad+的线上副部长级视频对话,进行防范新冠病毒以及经济复苏方面的经验分享与交流。但如今拜登政府要夹入私货,硬扯上所谓地区安全,想将越南拉入自己的准盟友体系之中,为其所用。

In the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, Vietnam participated in the Quad+ vice-ministerial level video dialogue on exchange and experience sharing on the containment and control of novel coronavirus and economic recovery. But now the Biden administration wants to force the topic of regional security upon Vietnam and drag it into its quasi-ally system to serve its own purposes.

值得一提的是,对于此次哈里斯的越南之行,华盛顿十分高调。白宫首席发言人桑德斯强调,这将是越南南北方1975年7月统一后第一位来访的美国副总统,意义重大。毫无疑问,拜登政府对前后两位高官的越南之行寄予厚望,甚至还在奥斯汀访越时向越南提供了300万剂莫德纳新冠疫苗作为见面礼,用心可见一斑。

It’s worth noting that Washington has put up a very high profile about Harris’ upcoming Vietnam trip. White House Chief Spokesperson Symone Sanders emphasized that it would be a significant trip as Harris was the first vice president to visit the country after it unified its south and north in July 1975. There is no doubt that the Biden administration has placed high hopes on the two senior officials’ visit to Hanoi, even providing it with 3 million doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines as Austin’s meeting gift.

其二,利用中越两国间客观存在的海权纷争离间、撬动两个社会主义国家的友好关系。

Second, it attempts to drive a wedge between China and Vietnam, both of which are socialist countries, utilizing their maritime disputes

自今年初越共十三大召开以来,中越关系明显升温。半年中,两国高层多次通话或互致贺电,我国国防部长魏凤和上将4月下旬成功访问越南,中越两国上半年还完成了北部湾海域联合巡航,两国经贸合作在疫情中也持续逆势上扬。两个社会主义邻国间的密切互动与友好,让拜登政府看在眼里急在心里,忙不迭地接连派出高官前往越南搅事。国务卿布林肯也将通过视频对包括越南在内的东盟国家展开游说和煽动。

The China-Vietnam relationship has obviously warmed up after the 13thNational Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam was held early this year. In the past half-year, senior officials of both countries have had phone conversations or sent congratulations to each other several times. Gen. Wei Fenghe, Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister visited Vietnam in late April, the two sides completed the joint cruise of Beibu Gulf in the first half-year, and their economic and trade cooperation has kept improving against the fallout of the pandemic. The close interactions and friendliness between the two socialist neighbors must have been a thorn in the flesh for the Biden administration and prompted it to send one senior official after another to Vietnam to make trouble. Secretary of State Blinken will also lobby and instigate ASEAN countries, including Vietnam, through video conferences.

然而,越南一直奉行的外交政策是不偏不倚的大国平衡战略。况且,美国无法提及以往常挂在嘴上的一句话:拥有所谓共同的价值观。而且,对美国高官轮番主动上门示好,越南上下反而保持着高度警觉,因为美国有着策动“颜色革命”颠覆他国政权的恶劣记录,何况是与西方国家意识形态完全不同的社会主义国家越南。事实上,美越双方围绕人权、民主等敏感问题一直龃龉不断。

However, Vietnam has been following a neutral diplomatic policy of major country balance. With Vietnam, the US cannot use its catchphrase of common values; to make things worse, Hanoi has been on high alert to the unusual and frequent overtures by Washington because it has a shitty record of subverting foreign regimes through “color revolution”, not to mention that Vietnam is a socialist country with a totally different ideology from the West. In fact, frictions over sensitive issues such as human rights and democracy have never stopped between the two countries.

有越南学者指出,针对美国的着力拉拢,越南始终保持着清醒和警觉,不会轻易选边站队,因为越南素有外交上的“三不原则”,即不和其他国家结盟,不参加任何军事团体,也不允许其他国家在越南驻扎军队。这位学者还强调,这是越南的“国家底线”,任何情况下都不会改变。这种看法在越南很具有代表性。

A Vietnamese scholar pointed out that Hanoi has remained sober-minded and vigilant in face of Washington’s overtures and would not easily pick a side because the country has always adhered to the “3-nos” diplomatic principle – no alliance with other countries, no affiliation with any military group, and no foreign military base on its soil. This, stressed the scholar, is Vietnam’s “bottom line” that will not change at any time. His view is very representative in Vietnam.

看来,拜登政府史无前例地连续派出高官到访越南不会达到希望的结果,所有图谋恐怕只会是竹篮打水一场空。

It seems that the Biden administration’s unprecedented gesture of sending senior officials continuously to Vietnam won’t achieve the expected results. All its plot and ploy may very well end up in vain.

(作者是浙江工业大学越南研究中心主任,南京大学中国南海研究中心高级研究员、教授)

(The author is director of the Center of Vietnamese Studies, Zhejiang University of Technology; senior researcher and professor at Collaborative Innovation Center of South China Sea Studies, Nanjing University)

Editor's note: This article is originally published on huanqiu.com, and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.

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