Washington's strategy in the Pacific - Bill Hayton & Sean Fear - TVP World

[TexasTowelie]

In its quest for allies in the Indo-Pacific region, the United States has recently been reaching out to various countries in order to create a viable counterbalance to an expansionist China. Among the countries in question, some, such as South Korea and Japan, had been on friendly terms with America for decades, but there are also some less obvious choices on the list, including Vietnam. With a turbulent history spanning from war to mutual trust and cooperation, the bilateral relations between the two states have formed something of a redemption arc. How can Vietnam help the U.S. maintain stability in the region, and what challenges need to be tackled for that cooperation to achieve its goals? Bill Hayton, Associate Fellow of the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House AND Sean Fear, Lecturer in International History at the University of Leeds joined us to discuss these issues.