Asia-Pacific

Vietnam not seeking military alliance - diplomat

By Ma Liyao (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-26 07:55

BEIJING - Vietnam is not becoming a military ally with the United States, a Vietnamese diplomat said on Wednesday.

"We are not going to be military allies with the US or any other country," Chu Ngoc Nho, Deputy Defense Attach of the Vietnam Embassy, said in a phone interview with China Daily.

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"Non-alignment is a clear stand of Vietnam. We are not looking to draw any country in for confrontation with a third party."

His comments echoed a statement made earlier on Wednesday by Vietnamese Vice Defense Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh, who said "Vietnam will never become military allies with the US." He denied that Vietnam is trying to establish "triangle relationships" between China and the US.

Chinese analysts spoke highly of Vinh's statement.

"Trivial disagreements between two friendly neighbors should be solved through peaceful bilateral talks, not involving any external force," said Rear Admiral Yang Yi, former head of strategic studies at the People's Liberation Army's National Defense University.

Sharing common interests, it is very important for China and Vietnam to develop a good-neighbor relationship, and China appreciates the gesture, Yang said.

Luo Yongkun, a researcher with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, also saw the statement as a positive and beneficial signal to boost Sino-Vietnamese ties. "Vietnam is intentionally pursuing balanced diplomacy, and its strategy is not to favor any side," he said.

Vinh was in Beijing from Sunday to Wednesday, exchanging views with Chinese defense ministry officials on the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) defense ministers' meeting.

"As friendly neighbors, Vietnam takes pleasure in China's development, particularly its military development, which neither poses a threat to other countries nor jeopardizes regional peace and stability," Vinh said.

During the four-day stay in Beijing, he met with Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie and held talks with Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

He also invited Liang to attend the ASEAN defense ministers' meeting and welcomed China's presence.

"This will be important to the success of the meeting and promoting bilateral cooperation," he said, adding that China can share with ASEAN countries its rich experience in addressing non-traditional security threats.

Vietnam and China are having disputes over the sovereignty of the South China Sea and the joint naval drill in the area held by Vietnam and the US.

China and Vietnam maintained frequent defense exchanges in the first half of the year. Vietnamese Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh visited China in April and Vinh was in China for his second visit of the year.

China and Vietnam are now preparing for the fourth bilateral strategic defense dialogue to be held later in the year, according to Vinh.

The expanded ASEAN meeting is scheduled for October in Hanoi, the rotating presidency's capital. Defense ministers from ASEAN member countries are expected to attend as well as eight dialogue partners, including Australia, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia the US and representatives of the ASEAN Secretariat.

Xinhua, Wang Haishan contributed to the story.