WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden is heading to Vietnam next month to meet with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other Vietnamese leaders, the White House announced.
The president will arrive in Hanoi on Sept. 10, tacking on the one-day visit to the Vietnamese capital after attending the annual Group of 20 leaders’ summit in India.
“The leaders will explore opportunities to promote the growth of a technology-focused and innovation-driven Vietnamese economy, expand our people-to-people ties through education exchanges and workforce development programs, combat climate change, and increase peace, prosperity, and stability in the region,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
The White House also announced on Monday that Biden will stop in Alaska on his way home from Vietnam to mark the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
He will take part in a memorial ceremony at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage with members of the military, first responders and their families, Jean-Pierre said.
The announcement about Vietnam comes after weeks of Biden hinting at a possible visit. He said at a July 29 campaign reception in Freeport, Maine, that Vietnam’s leader wanted to meet him.
He then told donors at a New Mexico reception earlier this month that he would “be going to Vietnam shortly because Vietnam wants to change our relationship and become a partner.”
“I’ve gotten a call from the head of Vietnam, desperately wants to meet me when I go to the G20,” Biden said at the Freeport reception. “He wants to elevate us to a major partner, along with Russia and China. What do you think that’s about? No, I’m not joking.”
Biden has put a premium on improving and expanding relationships in southeast Asia throughout his time in office amid growing U.S. concern about China’s growing military and economic influence in the region.
(AP/VOA)
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