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When Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and United States President Joe Biden upgraded diplomatic relations to their highest level last weekend, Chinese officials responded by raising the spectre of a new Cold War.
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning advised Washington to discard its “hegemonic and Cold War mentality in Southeast Asia” when asked about Trong and Biden signing up to a comprehensive strategic partnership equal to Beijing’s own relations with Vietnam.
Mao said that Washington should “abide by basic norms governing international relations” when dealing with Asian nations, reports Al Jazeera.
“We ask the US to respect regional countries’ shared aspiration for stability, cooperation and development.”
US officials swiftly rejected claims that cosying up to Vietnam’s rulers – whom the US once fought a war against – was a chess board move in a new confrontation with China in the Indo-Pacific region.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
