During his visit to Vietnam on Sunday, President Biden denied that strengthening ties with Hanoi was part of a broader effort to contain China.
At a press conference, a reporter noted that China had questioned the sincerity of the Biden administration for wanting diplomatic talks with Beijing.
US President Joe Biden holds a press conference in Hanoi on September 10, 2023, on the first day of a visit in Vietnam. Biden travels to Vietnam to deepen cooperation between the two nations, in the face of China’s growing ambitions in the region. (NHAC NGUYEN/AFP via Getty Images)
“Really what this trip is about, is less about containing China. I don’t want to contain China. I just want to make sure we have a relationship with China that is on the up and up, squared away, and everybody knows what’s going on,” Biden said.
Biden’s comments in Vietnam’s capital came after the president attended the Group of 20 summit in India, which neighbors China and has clashed with Beijing over…