With eye on China, Obama strengthens ties with Vietnam

Washington

US President Barack Obama had the ambitious goal of laying the foundation for a new stage in bilateral relations with Vietnam while visiting the country for the first time this week. He took another step to complete reconciliation between former battlefield foes by lifting a ban on the sale of weapons to Vietnam as it faces growing pressure from an assertive China in the South China Sea.

The American leader timed his visit just before he headed to Japan for the G-7 summit, making him the first head of state to meet the new leadership of Vietnam anointed at the Communist Party congress early this year.

His visit also comes just before a ruling is expected from the arbiter tribunal in The Hague on the Philippines case brought against China's nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea. And President Obama landed the day after four Indian naval warships entered the disputed sea for a two-month deployment wh…