A rising China has pushed the US and Vietnam together. The 123 nuclear agreement could just be the start of warmer ties.
The visit of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the USS George Washington to Vietnam last month was more than just a highly visible symbol of the United States’ re-engagement with its former nemesis. It was, in fact, an indication that Washington is intent on still relying on its ‘4.5 acres of sovereign territory’ in its dealings with Asia, rather than falling back on a G-2 arrangement with China.
But the engagement with Vietnam that the visit also demonstrated goes deeper than just this show of force—Washington is looking to move beyond symbolism to engage in a genuine strategic partnership, the cornerstone of which will be the US-Vietnam 123 nuclear cooperation agreement.
Unsurprisingly, the deal has already riled China and non-proliferation proponents alike, who note that the deal being offered to Vietnam is devoid of the standard strings that have characterised other deals with emerging nuclear nations, including the United Arab Emirates.
Most notably, Vietnam won’t have to abandon having the option to carry out nuclear fuel cycle activities on its territory as the UAE had to. This means that Vietnam, can, at least hypothetically, establish enrichment and reprocessing (ENR) facilities in its territory. Of course, the agreement doesn’t mean that the United States is about to transfer any ENR technology to Vietnam—or that the latter is in any hurry to set up its own such facilities. As Vuong Huu Tan, president of the government-affiliated Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute, has noted: ‘Vietnam doesn’t intend to enrich as of now because of expensive and very sensitive technology.’
ENR technology is anyway a closely guarded secret that only a handful of countries have the capacity to exploit on an industrial scale. But while any country with a nuclear energy programme would typically like to retain a certain degree of independence—and the NPT actually entitles all of its members to engage in full nuclear co-operation—the reality for many is that commercial and proliferation sensitivities have prompted various restrictions and regimes to be put in place denying them any such technology. In addition, such activities are simply prohibitively expensive for small and mid-sized nuclear estates.
Yet while the UAE’s willingness to forsake fuel cycle activity on its own soil seemed to provide a gold standard Washington could use for its nuclear dealings, the nature of the Vietnam deal implies that a broader technological relationship could yet be crafted between Hanoi and Washington.
Photo Credit: US State Department
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Dan
Blenmi is right. The politicians in Vietnam need to serve the people, not just themselve. Vietnamese are still very poor hungry. They know very little (if any at all) freedom. What will additional wars will bring to Vietnam and its people ? By all means, develop defense capability like every other country does, but the way forward is to have as many friends as possible and learn from others’ experience.
HTMITRE
China is king of deception. Do not trust them. U.S has to watch its back while playing with China. China could stab you anytime.
Partner with Vietnam is a win win situations for both US and Vietnam.
Thahn
Support Vietnam. We are the only country that can defeat China and run the rest of Southeast Asia for world peace. We are the natural leader of the region. It is in US interest to be our friend.
SE962582C
To quote quote “We are the only country that can defeat China and …” and unquote.
What is, and what would be, the definition of “Defeat” (as in the Situation with the Definition of “Victory” for certain other places)?!
To quote quote ” … and run (Sic.) the rest of Southeast (Sic.) [South-East] Asia for world peace (Sic.). We are the natural leader (Sic.) of the region. It … ” and unquote.
Paris, France, the French and the French Republic may or might had put Viet-Nam together with the Lao/Laos and with Cambodia/Kampuchea, but that did not actually mean anything, not for Today anyway and anyhow, and especially not for Today; for one thing, Viet-Nam and the Vietnamese cannot even Neutralise and Pacify even a small tiny little Country, the small tiny little Country by the Name of Cambodia/Kampuchea!
It is being anyway and anyhow far too late, as Siam-Thailand already has, and DOES already have, a de-jure/de-facto Defence/Defense Agreement/Treaty Relationship in, circa and since the year 1945, and being MORE Most-Favoured THAN, as well as with Preference OVER, Viet-Nam.
The United States of America and North America are NOT the Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union the USSR, and helping a and one particular Country taking over an entire Continent, or even half of an entire Continent, is just SO NOT their usual “Style”.
Viet-Nam and the Vietnamese would just have to learn to WALK for now, first of all, and first and foremost.
Dai Viet
To SE962582C:
You know nothing about Vietnam, its illustrious history against Chinese aggression, nor the Vietnamese people. So, stop talking nonsense and pretending you know anything about the topic. Your incessant effort to litter every comment with your babbling makes you appear as a silly tool for the power that be in Beijing.
SE962582C
There is only a “Viet-Nam”, NOT a “(Greater) Dai-Viet”.
The Term “(Greater) Dai-Viet” is NOT a personal name. The Term “(Greater) Dai-Viet” is a Term that is abused, misused and subverted as nothing more than, nothing other than and nothing but a political and an Ultra-Nationalist, if not also a racial and a racist, slogan.
I can see nothing more than, nothing other than and nothing but a lot of verbal abuse, written abuse, personal attacks, racial abuse and Ultra-Nationalist Propaganda there, if one asks me.
Viet-Nam is a Country with a significant, if not an high, actual un-employment, and where the People and the Population also are not THAT educated, albeit sans/without a high rate of illiteracy (The Vietnamese and the Vietnamese People DO appear to confuse basic literacy with professional education though.); and where a great many of its People chose and prefer instead to be and to become Ultra-Nationalists, Digital and On-Line Ultra-Nationalists, instead of gainful employment and of doing an honest job and an honest Day’s work.
Most Countries and Nations DO NOT actually accept or consider “Ultra-Nationalists” to be an Occupation, or a valid Occupation, but the same most probably, if not most certainly, cannot be applied to, or be said, for Viet-Nam.
SE962582C
Perhaps one should rephrase; “America, the United States and North America are NOT the former Soviet Russia, the former Soviet Union nor the former USSR. Helping a particular, and one particular Country taking over an entire Continent, or even half of an entire Continent, is NOT the usual “Style” of the former. Viet-Nam is NOT Israel. The Vietnamese are NOT the Israelis.”.