Chapter Thirteen
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violating China’s “undisputable sovereign” territory.^16 The last act that
ruffled the relations between the two neighboring countries was the
issuing of new Chinese passports that include a map of China containing
the disputed territories and Vietnam’s official complaint of infringement
of sovereignty to the Chinese ambassador in Hanoi with refusal to accept
and stamp them.^17 Besides Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan have also
objected, and India is also embroiled in the debate over the new Chinese
passports.^18
Emergence of Vietnamese – US Cooperation
The rise of China and its growing assertiveness in the South China Sea has
positioned Vietnam and US on the same side against it. The US, as the
most important global power and player in the region clearly affected by
Chinese assertiveness, has responded by underscoring its commitment to
Southeast Asia and by putting emphasis on maintaining regional balance
and stability as one of the US’s primary national interests.^19 In that regard,
besides strengthening its military presence in the region, the US reaffirmed
its strategy of containment (and deterrence) of China by strengthening ties
and cooperation with the countries of the region, especially through
participation in their multilateral organizations and mechanisms, such as
the ASEAN security forum and the Defense minister plus 8 dialog
partners, both held in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi in 2010.^20 The US
engagement in South East Asian multilateral organizations sends an
important signal: it shows that the US recognizes their importance and
sees multilateralism as the primary vehicle for keeping China’s power
ambitions in check.^21 Washington also actively supports confidence-
building measures and expansion of military exchanges and dialog.
(^16) The New York Times, “Vietnam Law On Islands Draws Anger From China“:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/world/asia/china-criticizes-vietnam-in-
dispute-over-islands.html
(^17) British Broadcasting Service, “Vietnam refuses to stamp new Chinese passports
over map“: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20491426
(^18) The Guardian, “Chinese passport map causes diplomatic dispute“:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/27/chinese-passport-row-
diplomatic-dispute
(^19) Sehnálková, “China’s growing assertiveness in the South China and East China
Seas: Reactions of the U.S. and other regional players”, 79.
(^20) Ibid, 79-80.
(^21) Ibid.