By Nadia Tsao
STAFF REPORTER IN WASHINGTON
Taipei Times
Advertising Hanoi's concern over China's growing strength in Southeast Asia led to a strategic shift in US-Vietnamese relations in 2003, American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt said yesterday.
One example of Beijing's growing strength was the Chinese demand that Cambodia close Taiwan's representative office in Phnom Penh, said Burghardt, who previously served as US ambassador to Vietnam.
He made the statements in a lecture on the history of US-Vietnam relations given at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) in Washington.
AEI is a conservative think tank.
Burghardt said that when George W. Bush first became US president, he treated China as a strategic competitor, but that this approach changed after the Sept. 11 attacks, when he began stressing cooperation between the two nations, an approach that became even clearer in 2003.
According to Burghardt, these developments caused complaints among China's neighbors that the US was focusing on its war on terror and ignoring Asia.
He said that a high Vietnamese official even told him that, "China is eating your lunch and you don't even notice!"
This attitude was shared by Singapore, Japan and Indonesia, Burghardt said.
This situation caused Vietnam to undertake a new strategic assessment in the hope of bringing in the US as a balancing power with the result that US-Vietnam relations took on new significance after 2003 and military exchanges became closer.
Burghardt also said that Vietnam is particularly worried about growing Chinese influence in Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia. He said Hanoi has noticed how Beijing's growing influence in Cambodia has resulted in extremely hostile actions against Taiwan, as seen in Beijing's demand that Taiwan close its office in Cambodia although it maintains a big office in Vietnam.
Burghardt said that China has become Vietnam's greatest strategic concern and that it is beginning to display a very strong wish to discuss China with the US.
Currently, however, Vietnam is playing a smaller role in the US' hedging strategies aimed at China because it does not want to anger Beijing by becoming a link in the US' containment of China.
One example of Beijing's growing strength was the Chinese demand that Cambodia close Taiwan's representative office in Phnom Penh, said Burghardt, who previously served as US ambassador to Vietnam.
He made the statements in a lecture on the history of US-Vietnam relations given at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) in Washington.
AEI is a conservative think tank.
Burghardt said that when George W. Bush first became US president, he treated China as a strategic competitor, but that this approach changed after the Sept. 11 attacks, when he began stressing cooperation between the two nations, an approach that became even clearer in 2003.
According to Burghardt, these developments caused complaints among China's neighbors that the US was focusing on its war on terror and ignoring Asia.
He said that a high Vietnamese official even told him that, "China is eating your lunch and you don't even notice!"
This attitude was shared by Singapore, Japan and Indonesia, Burghardt said.
This situation caused Vietnam to undertake a new strategic assessment in the hope of bringing in the US as a balancing power with the result that US-Vietnam relations took on new significance after 2003 and military exchanges became closer.
Burghardt also said that Vietnam is particularly worried about growing Chinese influence in Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia. He said Hanoi has noticed how Beijing's growing influence in Cambodia has resulted in extremely hostile actions against Taiwan, as seen in Beijing's demand that Taiwan close its office in Cambodia although it maintains a big office in Vietnam.
Burghardt said that China has become Vietnam's greatest strategic concern and that it is beginning to display a very strong wish to discuss China with the US.
Currently, however, Vietnam is playing a smaller role in the US' hedging strategies aimed at China because it does not want to anger Beijing by becoming a link in the US' containment of China.
5 comments:
i dont think being influence by China is going to much better off. but who knows, if vietnam got cold feet and alliant with the USA Cambodia may be freed from Vietnam. if you ask me, it just tarted with the same brush.
The Yuan are too aggressive toward Laos and Cambodia is not good. They are too greedy and they may lose all what they have or what they took from others.
These Yuan are not smart people compare to China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Yuan are to busy to colonize others while their people remain too poor. They should try to take care their own country, economy like Singapore instead of worrying to colonize others.
I feel sorry for the poor innocence people. They never have peace for thousand years because of the war with China, and because the Yuan leaders are too stupid.
Yuan Hanoi knew they didn't win the war in Vietnam without Soviet Union and China, Cuba helped them.
dont worry much, my buddies space aliens will soon be here to assist cambodia, then Hanoi will turn to ashes! hahahha..keep smiling.
In the geo-politics, Cambodia always seen as a frigile country, a country that is easy to influence as such the case China demanded to close down the Tawain consulate office. Cambodia should learn how to balance their interest; not just go after the money. There are consequence to everything we do. We cannot continue to be the country used by other country for their interest. Cambodians suffer enough because of misjudments and careless decisions.
Vietnam's politics is very flexible. They are like a chicken running around to find out who is taking good care for them. When they wanted to invade Cambodia, they went along with the Soviets, and distanced from China. When the Soviets colapsed, they went away from them. Now, they are getting along with America. Well, I think Vietnamese politicians are very smart, because in order to survive in wild world, as a poor country they should do anything to survive. Thailand did the same. They go with the rich. America.
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