Authoritarian and semi-authoritarian countries, such as Russia, China, Cuba, Laos and Cambodia, quickly sent congratulatory messages to State President To Lam on his election as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
It was not until August 7 that the President of the United States sent a congratulatory message to the new General Secretary To Lam. In a congratulatory message sent from the White House, President Joe Biden wrote:
“I would like to congratulate President To Lam on his election as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.”
Notably, the congratulatory message included the following paragraph:
“Vice President Harris and I look forward to working with General Secretary To Lam to continue to promote and support a strong, independent, prosperous and resilient Vietnam.”
According to observers, it is too early to judge whether To Lam is pro-Western or leaning towards China. However, recent moves by Beijing’s leadership show an unusual reaction to Hanoi, especially in the South China Sea issue.
According to an international news agency, recently, a Chinese military drone, sending out a tracking signal, flew close to the coast of Vietnam. This is the first time in 5 years that Beijing has made such activities public.
The incident just mentioned took place a few days after Hanoi announced that it would hold the first joint exercises with the Coast Guard of the Philippines. Likewise, the incident also took place after Vietnam submitted a claim to expand its continental shelf in the South China Sea to the United Nations last month.
Observers say this is an extremely sensitive issue in Vietnam-China relations after General Secretary Trong’s passing.
Meanwhile, contrary to China’s hostile stance, the US statement on the decision that “Vietnam is not yet a true market economy” has made a “special recommendation” for Vietnam to study and make appropriate adjustments.
Dr. Dinh Hoang Thang, former Vietnamese Ambassador to the Netherlands, said that the US Department of Commerce may recommend President Joe Biden to make decisions to design a “temporary policy.”
Accordingly, the US Department of Commerce will not impose taxes, or set acceptable anti-dumping tax rates, on a number of Vietnamese goods imported into the US market, for a period of 2 years, from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026.
According to Mr. Dinh Hoang Thang, when evaluating the foreign policy viewpoint of To Lam, he made a surprising comment:
“The speech of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam, in the first article ‘Determination to build a strong Party, a rich, democratic, fair, civilized Vietnam’.
“This is the first time that a General Secretary of the Party has not mentioned the phrase ‘fighting the US to save the country’.”
Recently, the Ministry of Public Security under the direction of To Lam, has had close cooperation with the Security agencies, as well as the Police of the United States. Recently, the Ministry of Public Security’s Training Department visited the United States to discuss the training work of the US Police. The delegation also included the Director of the Security Academy and a number of leaders of the Ministry of Public Security.
The current political system in Vietnam is a copy of China. The proverb “When Beijing rains, Hanoi opens its umbrella” reflects that. Since the Chengdu Conference in 1990, the Beijing leadership has repeatedly intervened directly in Vietnam’s high-level personnel work.
The phenomenon and unusual attitude of General To Lam in the China-Vietnam-US trilateral relationship has made the public worried about his fate and political future, in the face of Beijing full of tricks.
Tra My – Thoibao.de
