US Security Partner Deepens Military Ties With China
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Vietnam—a United States security partner in Southeast Asia—is set to participate in a joint army exercise with China for the first time, a neighboring country with which it has maritime disputes.
Newsweek has contacted the Vietnamese Defense Ministry for further comment via email.
Why It Matters
Vietnam and China claim sovereignty over two island groups in the South China Sea—the Spratlys and the Paracels. In response to Beijing’s growing presence in the region, which has often led to standoffs and clashes, Hanoi has followed its rival’s example by consolidating its presence on islands it controls through land reclamation and the construction of military infrastructure.
Once adversaries during the Vietnam War, the U.S. and Vietnam have gradually expanded their defense partnership since normalizing diplomatic relations in 1995. This includes the transfer of former U.S. Coast Guard vessels and the delivery of U.S. military training aircraft, enhancing the Southeast Asian nation’s capacity to protect its sovereignty in disputed waters.
A Chinese soldier participates in a mine sweeping training exercise at a minefield along the China-Vietnam border in southwest China’s Yunnan Province in late August 2018. A Chinese soldier participates in a mine sweeping training exercise at a minefield along the China-Vietnam border in southwest China’s Yunnan Province in late August 2018. Peng Xi/Chinese military
What To Know
Chinese and Vietnamese ground forces will conduct a training exercise in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region—located in South China and bordering Vietnam—in mid to late July, focusing on joint border patrol, China’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
According to Beijing, the joint exercise aims to enhance what it calls “mutual learning and exchange of border patrol experiences” and deepen cooperation between the two militaries.
This marks the third cooperative engagement between Chinese and Vietnamese forces since April, when their naval forces and coast guards conducted two separate joint patrols in the Beibu Gulf—also known as the Gulf of Tonkin—off the coasts of Vietnam and China.
While the Chinese military did not reveal the duration of the exercise, the state-run Vietnam News Agency reported that the drill began on Monday and is scheduled to end on July 30.
Citing Chinese military expert Zhang Junshe, the report stated that the exercise is essential to maintaining peace and stability along the China-Vietnam border and in the broader region.
Beijing and Hanoi agreed in 1999 to clearly define their 900-mile-long land border. Border demarcation and marker placement were completed in 2008, and the two neighboring countries signed three legal documents on land border management the following year.
In April, China and Vietnam organized a border defense friendship exchange, during which Defense Ministers Dong Jun and Phan Van Giang inspected border troops and held talks.
What People Are Saying
Chinese Defense Minister Admiral Dong Jun said at the China-Vietnam Border Defense Friendship Exchange in April: “The two militaries should be aligned with the relationship orientation of ‘comrades and brothers,’ further enhance strategic communication, deepen exchanges at all levels and in all fields, improve the quality and effectiveness of border defense friendly exchanges, continuously expand pragmatic cooperation, and make greater contributions to accelerating the construction of a strategically significant China-Vietnam community with a shared future.”
Vietnamese Defense Minister General Phan Van Giang said at China-Vietnam Border Defense Friendship Exchange in April: “As an important part of the bilateral relationship, the cooperation between the two militaries has been continuously deepened and achieved remarkable results. Vietnam is willing to join hands with China to build a more pragmatic pillar of security cooperation and bring more benefits to the two countries and their people.”
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen how China and Vietnam will navigate their defense relations in border management, as both countries have yet to resolve their disputes in the South China Sea.
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