Former Foe Vietnam Cleared for U.S. Arms

摘要

The U.S. government will allow the sale of certain types of lethal weapons to Vietnam for the first time, the State Department announced Oct. 2. "This policy supports Vietnam's efforts to improve its maritime domain awareness and maritime security capabilities," a State Department official said in an Oct. 17 e-mail to Arms Control Today. The announcement followed a protracted confrontation between Vietnam and China last summer over the introduction of a Chinese oil rig into a part of the South China Sea claimed by Vietnam. In May, the State Department criticized the move as "provocative," saying that "this unilateral action appears to be part of a broader pattern of Chinese behavior to advance its claims over disputed territory in a manner that undermines peace and stability in the region."