Report to Congress on U.S.-Vietnam Relations
February 17, 2021 8:43 AM
The following is the Feb. 16, 2021, Congressional Research Service In Focus report: U.S.-Vietnam Relations.
From the report
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam in 1995, overlapping strategic and economic interests have led the two countries to expand ties across a wide spectrum of issues. The United States is Vietnam’s 2nd largest bilateral trading partner (after China), and Vietnam is the United States’ 10th largest trading partner. Since 2010, the two countries have formed partnerships on many regional security and economic issues, due in part to shared concerns about China’s increased assertiveness in the region and to Vietnam’s position as a rising middle power. Vietnam is serving as a 2020-2021 non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, providing addition opportunities for bilateral cooperation.
January 26, 2021
The Vietnam Communist Party launched its 13th congress on January 25, a crucial meeting held every five years to choose the country’s top leaders and set its major policy course. Nearly 1,600 delegates will seek to set a direction to boost economic growth and navigate the nation’s greatest foreign policy challenge: increasing competition between the world’s two superpowers, China and the United States.
Q1: What issues will the party congress address?
A1: The biggest issue is leadership succession, which has preoccupied the upper echelons of the party for much of the past year. First the Central Committee, a body of about 200 members responsible for implementing decisions taken by the party congress, must be selected. That committee will then elect the Politburo, the most powerful decisionmaking body in the party, from a pre-approved list of candidates. The last Politburo consisted of 19 members. The new one will propose candidates for the top four leadersh
Gregory B. Poling, senior fellow for
Southeast Asia and director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, and senior associate
Murray Hiebert entitled Vietnam Party Congress Meets to Choose Leaders, Set Policy Direction :
The Vietnam Communist Party launched its 13th congress on
January 25, a crucial meeting held every five years to choose the country s top leaders and set its major policy course. Nearly 1,600 delegates will seek to set a direction to boost economic growth and navigate the nation s greatest foreign policy challenge: increasing competition between the world s two superpowers,
China and
Q1: What issues will the party congress address?
A1: The biggest issue is leadership succession, which has preoccupied the upper echelons of the party for much of the past year. First the Central Committee, a body of about 200 members responsible for implementing decisions taken by the party congress, must be selected. That committee will then elect the Politbur