Vous êtes sur la page 1sur 3

Thayer Consultancy Background Brief

ABN # 65 648 097 123


U.S. Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo to Visit Vietnam
July 6, 2018

We have just learned that the U.S Secretary of State will be visiting Vietnam to discuss
denuclearization in North Korea. Secretary Pompeo will meet Ngueyn Phu Trong, the
Secretary General of the Vietnam Communist Party, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc
and his counterpart Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh
Minh [see below].
What is your assessment of Secretary Pompeo’s visit? What will be on the agenda?
ASSESSMENT: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is the Trump Administration’s lead
person for talks with North Korea on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. He
will be visiting Vietnam after North Korea and Japan. Because his schedule is so tight
he cannot possibly discuss the full range of bilateral issues on the table under the U.S.-
Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership. Outstanding economic issues were discussed
during Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue’s visit to the United States last month.
Hue met Secretary Pompeo and was quoted as affirming that “Vietnam is willing to
cooperate with and support all constructive efforts to solve disagreements through
dialogue and actively contribute to peace, security and stability in the Korean
peninsula.” This suggests that Pompeo will raise the Korean issue and Vietnam’s
possible role while he visits Hanoi.
Vietnam can contribute to this process as it has in the past when Vietnam hosted talks
between North Korea and Japan on the issue of family reunions and Japanese
kidnapped by North Korea. . Vietnam could offer itself as a venue for side talks.
Vietnam could also be enlisted as a go-between to Pyongyang by sharing experiences
in ending sanctions, domestic economic reform and opening up to the world economy.
During his trip to Washington, Hue also met U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin
who expressed his desire to visit Vietnam as soon as possible to advance economic
cooperation. This seems to indicate that the agreement Hue and Mnuchin reached on
working-level dialogue to sort out bilateral trade issues is on course and will not
feature prominently during Pompeo’s visit.
Hue also met with Deputy National Security Adviser Mira Ricardel. This could indicate
that South China Sea issues might be raised. However, this is the purview of Secretary
of Defense James Mattis. If Vietnam’s leaders signal to Pompeo their desire to step up
defence cooperation, it will be Secretary Mattis and the Indo-Pacific Command that
will take responsibility for implementation.
2

Given Pompeo’s high-level involvement in the denuclearization of the Korean


peninsula issue this is likely to be the main topic discussed in Hanoi. Some diplomatic
role for Vietnam might emerge.
In addition, Trump Administrations officials have spoken positively about Vietnam’s
constructive role in regional affairs. Assuming that denuclearization on the Korean
peninsula will take years, it is significant that Vietnam is scheduled to be ASEAN Chair
in 2020 and was recently endorsed by the Asia bloc at the United Nations as its
candidate for non-permanent membership on the UN Security Council.
Finally, given publicity in the United States, including Congressional intervention, on
the arrest of a Vietnamese-American student who participated in a street
demonstration, Pompeo may raise this issue in discussions with his counterpart, Pham
Binh Minh.

Chủ nhật/ Sunday 08th July, 2018


1 16:10 Sân bay Nội Bài Đến sân bay
Noi Bai airport Arrival at the airport
2 17:00 Văn phòng Chào xã giao Tổng Bí thư Nguyễn
(DỰ Trung ương Phú Trọng
kiến) Đảng, 1 Hùng Courtesy call on General Secretary
Vương Nguyen Phu Trong
Headquarter of
CPV Central
Committee, 1
Hung Vuong str.
Thứ Hai/ Monday 09th July, 2018
3 07:45 Trung tâm Hội Hội kiến với TTCP Nguyễn Xuân
nghị Quốc tế, 11 Phúc
Lê Hồng Phong Meeting with PM Nguyen Xuan
International Phuc
Convention
Center, 11th Le
Hong Phong str.
4 09:00 Trụ sở Bộ Ngoại Hội đàm với PTT, BTNG Phạm
giao, số 1 Tôn Bình Minh
Thất Đàm Bilateral talk with Deputy PM, FM
MOFA Pham Binh Minh
Headquarter, 1st
Ton That Dam str

Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, “U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Visit
Vietnam,” Thayer Consultancy Background Brief, July 6, 2018. All background briefs
are posted on Scribd.com (search for Thayer). To remove yourself from the mailing list
type, UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject heading and hit the Reply key.
3

Thayer Consultancy provides political analysis of current regional security issues and
other research support to selected clients. Thayer Consultancy was officially
registered as a small business in Australia in 2002.

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi