Led by communists but with capitalist leanings and a friend of each the United States and North Korea, Vietnam will host the subsequent summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un on February 27-28.
Like North Korea, Vietnam was once embroiled in a bloody and bitter war with the US.
But unlike Pyongyang, Hanoi now counts Washington amongst its closest allies, having emerged from the devastation of war to change into one in all the fastest-growing economies in Asia – and one of the vital diplomatically experienced.
Here are some the reason why it was decided to arrange a second Trump-Kim summit:
DOES THIS MAKE LOGISTICAL SENSE?
Vietnam meets many criteria. The flight from Pyongyang is brief enough for Kim, who would otherwise travel by armored train.
It can be home to the U.S. and North Korean embassies, that are helping with preparations ahead of the summit.
Hanoi maintains friendly relations with each countries and is taken into account a “neutral” territory, unlike, say, the US state of Hawaii, which has also been discussed as an option.
Security in a communist country is tight even in normal times. Authorities will fastidiously control media access and crowds throughout the event, where the leaders’ choreography will likely be closely watched around the globe.
WHY IS KIM ON BOARD WITH VIETNAM?
Vietnam is one in all the few countries with which North Korea has good relations.
Diplomatic relations between Hanoi and Pyongyang date back to 1950, and North Korea sent air force personnel to the communist North throughout the Vietnam War.
The last top North Korean leader to go to Vietnam was Kim Jong Un’s grandfather, Kim Il Sung, in 1961, although several senior officials have visited since then.
Although trade declined because of this of UN sanctions against Pyongyang, it reached USD 7 million in 2017.
Kim’s visit to Vietnam – it is going to be his first – may additionally be a chance for him to attract conclusions from Vietnam’s post-war economic transformation.
“(If) he could be eager about learning about Vietnam’s history together with his own eyes, it could possibly be source of inspiration and reflection for him to take into consideration how he should take North Korea forward” – Le Hong Hiep, Vietnam expert at Singapore’s ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, told AFP.
WHAT ABOUT WASHINGTON?
Vietnam is also a strategically essential place for the United States, which is currently engaged in a trade war with China, one in all North Korea’s closest allies.
Trump could use Vietnam to “signal to Beijing that North Korea will not be in your hands, we’ve a counterweight to Chinese influence on this area,” said Cheon Seong Whun, a visiting research fellow on the Asan Institute of Policy Studies in Seoul.
Washington also desires to boast about Vietnam’s economic success story, which was praised by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his visit to the country last yr.
“Your country can repeat this path. It is yours if you seize this moment,” Pompeo said in remarks to Kim.
“This could be your miracle in North Korea too.”
WHY DOES VIETNAM WANT TO HOST?
Vietnam is keen to exhibit its diplomatic seriousness on the international stage, following the 2017 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and the World Economic Forum (WEF) regional meeting last yr.
The Trump-Kim meeting could repay in some ways.
Hosting the box office summit could raise Vietnam’s “status within the international community, which is able to help the country attract tourism and foreign investment,” said Vu Minh Khuong, a policy analyst on the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.
Source : Times of the Strait
