NEW YORK TIMES: The United States on Thursday partially lifted its longtime ban on the provision of lethal arms toVietnam, a move that is intended to help Hanoi strengthen its maritime security as it contends with a more assertiveChina…
As the United States’ concerns have grown over China’s increasing military abilities, American officials have gradually moved to strengthen security ties with the Vietnamese. Hanoi, whose forces clashed with China in 1979, has been increasingly worried about Beijing’s military posture in the region and has urged that the ban on lethal arms sales be rescinded…
The latest shift in United States policy, which comes nearly four decades after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, is aimed at further strengthening Vietnam’s Coast Guard and would open the door for Vietnam to acquire armed boats or even surveillance planes from the United States… (more)
EDITOR: This relatively small article appeared on Page A10, so even the NYT does not ascribe the importance to it that it deserves.
A likely flash point for a potential world war is the struggle over control of the South China Sea, both economically and militarily. USA needs to assist local allies, the strongest and most willing is Viet Nam.
