U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday kicked off a trip to Vietnam, a crucial Southeast Asian trade partner that Washington is looking to bolster ties with as it works to balance China's growing assertiveness in the region and beyond.
In his first trip to the country as the top U.S. diplomat, Blinken will meet with top Vietnamese officials, including Vietnamese General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
The United States faces challenges in Southeast Asia in building a coalition to counter China and deter any potential action by Beijing against Taiwan. Many countries in the region are reluctant to antagonize their giant neighbor, which is not just a military power but also a key trading partner and source of investment.
The diplomatic calculus is further complicated by the increasingly close relationship between Beijing and Moscow, which last year declared a "no limits" partnership shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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