Vietnam clearly expressed its stance: the negotiation between the US and Vietnam should not impair the interests of a third party.

In China's case, Vietnam has listened! Facing the clear U.S. demand for countries to take sides, Vietnam this time gave a clear response! On April 22nd, according to domestic media reports, while the U.S. was negotiating with various countries, Vietnam responded. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated at a meeting held in Hanoi that trade negotiations with the U.S. should ensure consistency with Vietnam's existing international commitments and should avoid any impact on other regions, avoiding affecting other international agreements or disrupting other markets.

The statement by the Vietnamese Prime Minister that "should avoid affecting other regions and avoid impacting other international agreements or disrupting other markets" means what? Clearly, this is Vietnam telling the U.S. that one of the premises for Vietnam's negotiations with the U.S. is that negotiations between the U.S. and Vietnam should be limited to the U.S. and Vietnam, without harming the interests of third parties. And Vietnam's cooperation agreements with other countries must not change due to negotiations with the U.S.

Previously, the U.S. clearly demanded that countries take sides and pressured them to isolate China in economic and trade matters in order to gain tax reductions from the U.S. We firmly responded that we strongly oppose any party reaching a deal at the expense of our interests. If such a situation arises, we will not accept it and will resolutely take reciprocal countermeasures. Clearly, Vietnam's response will probably not make the U.S. happy, and as a matter of fact, our stance, Vietnam has understood.

Undoubtedly, after both China and the U.S. have clearly stated their positions, Vietnam's current stance is already sufficiently clear-headed, meaning that Vietnam will not cooperate with the U.S. to isolate China. The U.S. is Vietnam's largest export market, yet even so, the U.S. has not gained support there. This stance by Vietnam is certainly a decision made after thorough assessment. It turns out that the U.S.' actions are unpopular. In the face of U.S. warnings, Vietnam withstood the pressure and also listened to our advice.

Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1830110095242315/

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