At a news conference Monday with Vietnamese Defense Minister Gen. Phung Quang Thanh, Mr. Panetta said he hopes to strengthen the U.S. defense relationship with Vietnam and help the country’s military to develop.
Mr. Panetta said he and Gen. Quang Thanh discussed additional high-level dialogues and increased visits to Vietnam by U.S. Navy ships.
“The whole thrust of what we discussed in our meeting is to try to take this relationship to a new level,” Mr. Panetta said.
But Vietnam, keen to guard its independence, is moving gingerly. Gen. Quang Thanh said his country wants good relations with both China and the United States.
“We do not depend on any country,” Gen. Quang Thanh said.
U.S. officials have worried in the past about China’s actions in the South China Sea and have said they believe if they don’t help other nations in the region to improve their militaries, China will come to intimidate smaller countries.
Mr. Panetta said the U.S. wants to help strengthen Vietnam and other nations, which he said would help to increase regional stability.
“The goal of the United States is to advance exactly what the general refers to: advance the independence and sovereignty of all nations in the region,” Mr. Panetta said.
For his part, Gen. Quang Thanh said he wants the U.S. to lift its ban on selling Vietnam lethal weapons. Congress currently allows some nonlethal military equipment to be sold to Hanoi.
Selling a wider range of weapons, Gen. Quang Thanh said, would “help fully normalize relations.”
Mr. Panetta did not explicitly comment on the arm-sales issue, but noted that “assistance” to Vietnam will have conditions.
“That additional assistance depends on progress that is being made on human rights and other reforms,” Mr. Panetta said.
Source: The Wall Street Journal June 5,2012
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