VP Harris Says US Will 'Speak Up' on South China Sea
The United States welcomes competition and does not seek conflict with Beijing, but will speak up on issues like maritime disputes in the South China Sea, Vice President Kamala Harris said on Thursday as she concluded a trip to Southeast Asia.In visits to Singapore and Vietnam, Harris charged China with bullying its neighbors in the region, triggering here sharp rebukes from Beijing, which accused the U.S. of meddling in regional affairs and disrupting peace.“We welcome stiff competition…
US Delivers Ship to Vietnam Coast Guard
The U.S. Coast Guard transferred a high-endurance cutter to its Vietnamese counterpart in Honolulu, the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi said on Friday, in the latest effort to deepen ties with its former foe. The move follows an increase in exchanges between the two countries, ahead of a visit to the United States next week by the Vietnamese prime minister and a recent delivery of six patrol boats to the Vietnamese coast guard. The ship will help the Vietnam Coast Guard carry out maritime law enforcement, and conduct search and rescue and other humanitarian response operations, the embassy said in a statement. "This cutter provides a concrete and significant symbol of the U.S-Vietnam comprehensive partnership," said U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Michael J. Haycock, its chief acquisition officer.
Coast Guard Commandant Visits Vietnam
The U.S. Coast Guard continues to expand U.S. ties to Vietnam with a visit by Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Papp, who became the first Commandant to visit as part of an official international outreach initiative. Over the past three years, the Coast Guard, in close coordination with the Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, has been helping Vietnam to build their maritime governance capacity by providing training assistance to the Vietnam Marine Police. The VMP is a “Coast Guard-like” maritime law enforcement component within their Ministry of Defense…
U.S. Warships Visit North Vietnam
Two U.S. Navy vessels on became the first American warships to visit northern Vietnam in peacetime, entering Haiphong port which U.S. forces mined and bombed in the Vietnam War 40 years ago, according to a Reuters report. The courtesy call of mine warfare ships USS Patriot and USS Guardian in communist-ruled Vietnam is the latest in a series of ship visits at a time of warm relations between Hanoi and Washington. A training ship, USS Golden Bear, visited Haiphong in July, the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi said. The USS Patriot and USS Guardian were to remain in Haiphong for several days, with the crews playing volleyball with a Vietnamese Navy team and visiting schools for blind and deaf children, officials said. Since Washington and Hanoi established diplomatic ties, other U.S.
