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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Michael Tatarski in Ho Chi Minh City

China concerns drive historic upgrade in US-Vietnam relations

Vietnam Joe Biden China United States Nguyen Khac Giang Nguyen Phu Trong Hanoi
US President Joe Biden makes a toast with Vietnam's President Vo Van Thuong during a State luncheon at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi
US president Joe Biden makes a toast with Vietnam's president, Vo Van Thuong, during a state luncheon at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi. Photograph: Nhac Nguyen/EPA

Over the weekend, US President Joe Biden arrived in Hanoi and finalised a diplomatic agreement with former foe Vietnam that was, until recently, almost unthinkable.

Shortly after touching down in the country, Biden met Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist party of Vietnam, to upgrade their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP), the highest of Vietnam’s three diplomatic levels – save for a special category reserved for Cambodia and Laos.

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