Walking a Tightrope: Vietnam's Security Challenge in the South China Sea and Implications for U.S. PACOM.

摘要

Vietnam considers China's assertiveness in the South China Sea as a threat to vital national security interests that are inextricably linked to economic well-being, and by extension, regime preservation. Since 1988, Vietnam has sought to overcome political isolation by expanding international relations and vigorously defending its claims to the Paracel and Spratly Islands on the basis of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The author posits that Vietnam will continue to hedge against a resurgent China in the South China Sea through its integration into the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), military modernization, and expansion of political and economic ties to outside powers, including a gradual and cautious development of its relationship with the United States. With respect to Vietnam, and more broadly the ASEAN states, U.S. Pacific Command should conduct a broad range of military-to-military activities focusing on the areas of professional military education, joint doctrine assistance, joint and combined interoperability, logistics and maintenance support, and command and control. Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), peacekeeping operations, and areas of nontraditional security such as smuggling, piracy, and drug trafficking provide the common ground for cooperation. Finally, as part of a competitive strategy towards China, the author argues that the United States should consider lifting its ban on arms sales to Vietnam.