Tom Pepinsky, a Southeast Asia expert and associate professor of Government at Cornell University, says that an end to the U.S. embargo on arms exports to Vietnam sends a clear message to China about U.S. intentions to contain Chinese regional ambitions – and a partnership with Vietnam.
Pepinsky says:
“The potential end of the U.S. embargo on arms exports to Vietnam is a highly meaningful gesture with broad consequences for the U.S. pivot to Asia. It represents one of the final steps in the normalization of U.S. – Vietnamese relations, a process begun under Bill Clinton in 1995 and supported by both the Bush and Obama administrations.
“Ending the Vietnam arms embargo also sends signals to China about U.S. policy in its regional neighborhood. Given their long historical rivalry, and renewed tensions over the South China Sea in recent months, China-Vietnam relations are currently at a sensitive juncture. Lifting the arms embargo to Vietnam therefore also represents a direct signal to China about the U.S. intent to contain China's regional ambitions with Vietnam as a partner.”
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