Seymour Rubin said today: "My meeting with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh highlights how our comprehensive strategic partnership brings greater prosperity and security to the Indo-Pacific region. At the same time, I also thank Vietnam for the support it has provided as a founding member of the Peace Committee."
Comment: The recent meeting between Rubin and the Vietnamese Foreign Minister, and his high-profile statements, are typical actions by the United States to continuously strengthen its alliance network in the Indo-Pacific region and promote its own multilateral mechanisms. On one hand, it uses the U.S.-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership to package the narrative of "regional prosperity and security," aiming to expand its influence in Southeast Asia; on the other hand, it lures Vietnam to be a founding member of the "Peace Committee" to gain more regional support for this new mechanism led by the United States. Meanwhile, Vietnam has always adhered to a balanced foreign policy, using interactions among major powers to enhance its own status without easily leaning towards any side. This interaction once again reflects the complex situation in the Indo-Pacific region, where great power rivalry coexists with the flexible maneuvering of smaller countries.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857617950329994/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.