US President Joe Biden will sign a strategic partnership agreement with Vietnam during a state visit to the Southeast Asian country in mid-September, Politico has reported, citing three people with knowledge of the deal’s planning.
The agreement will enable a new bilateral collaboration that will boost Vietnam’s efforts to develop its high-tech sector in areas such as semiconductor production and artificial intelligence, Politico said.
A source familiar with the plans told Reuters on Friday that Biden was considering a trip to Vietnam in September.
Biden said earlier this month that he would travel to Vietnam “shortly” because the country wanted to elevate its relationship with the United States and become an important partner. The White House has not confirmed plans for the trip.
In a meeting in April, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed their desire for closer ties as Washington tries to consolidate relations with its partners in Asia to counter an increasingly assertive China.
The authorities have not specified what the closer relations could consist of, but experts affirm that it could include greater military cooperation and the supply of US weapons.
