U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for closer ties between Washington
and its former wartime foe Vietnam, even as she said the government in Hanoi
isn't doing enough to respect human rights.
Speaking in the Vietnamese capital on Tuesday
in the midst of a cross-Asia tour, Mrs. Clinton touted the widening commercial
links between the two nations, with trade reaching $22 billion in 2011, from $1
billion in 2001. The two countries have also moved closer in recent years as
Vietnam seeks more support in its long-running disputes with China. Beijing's
extensive territorial claims in the resource-rich South China Sea overlap with
those of Vietnam and other Southeast Asian nations, leading to growing fears of
a regional conflict.
Mrs. Clinton said she hoped Asian leaders
would work together to come up with a solution to the territorial disputes. She
encouraged the development of a fresh code of conduct for activities in the sea
at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit this week in Cambodia, to
ensure future disagreements are resolved amicably.
"The U.S. greatly appreciates Vietnam's
contribution to a collaborative, diplomatic resolution of disputes and the
reduction of tensions in the South China Sea," Mrs. Clinton said at a briefing
after meetings with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.
But Mrs. Clinton said she remains concerned
that Vietnam's government isn't doing enough to protect the rights of its
citizens, including protections for free expression online. Vietnam has at
times instructed Internet-service providers to block access to sites such as Facebook
nd Twitter in recent years, while police have detained some well-known
bloggers. Human-rights groups say such actions are designed to limit dissent.
"I know there are some who argue that
developing economies need to put economic growth first and worry about
political reform and democracy later, but that is a short-sided bargain,"
Mrs. Clinton said. "So I also raised concerns about human rights,
including the continued detentions of activists, lawyers, and bloggers, for the
peaceful expression of opinions and ideas."
Mr. Minh said at the briefing he was hopeful
that relations between the countries would continue to warm, however,
especially through economic links.
"The potential to boost economic
cooperation between the two countries is huge, and we hope the U.S. will become
the top foreign investor in Vietnam in the near future," he said.
U.S. officials are keen to keep promoting
commercial ties between the two countries, to create new opportunities for
American companies abroad and to help shore up relations with Hanoi as
Washington seeks to contain China's influence in the region.
Although Vietnam has been a major destination
for U.S. investment in recent years, it has become somewhat less attractive
more recently because of macroeconomic instability, marked by high rates of
inflation and a series of currency devaluations. Analysts have argued Vietnam
needs to pursue more economic overhauls, including steps to privatize state
companies, to give its economy a new boost.
At an American Chamber of Commerce event in
Hanoi Tuesday, Mrs. Clinton said she was encouraging Vietnamese officials to
keep reforming the economy, especially by opening markets further to private
investment. She said the U.S. was also doing its part by joining with local
companies and nongovernmental organizations to boost skills training and build
a better-educated workforce—long a concern for major multinational companies
operating in Vietnam such as Intel Corp.
PATRICK
BARTA in Phnom Penh and VU
TRONG KHANH in Hanoi
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