Yellen: US ties with Vietnam don't require it to sever ties with Russia, China

US TREASURY Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday (Jun 20) said the United States’ upgraded partnership with Vietnam does not require Vietnam to sever ties with Russia or China.

Asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Vietnam to sign a slew of agreements ranging from oil and gas to nuclear science raised concerns for Washington, Yellen said Hanoi has a clear policy of working with many countries.

“Vietnam has a policy and strategy of working collaboratively with many different countries, and it is not a condition of our partnership that they sever their ties to Russia or to China,” Yellen told a news conference in Atlanta.

Yellen also defended President Joe Biden’s increased tariffs on certain Chinese goods as highly strategic but said Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s tariff proposals would be much broader and raise costs for consumers.

She said Biden’s new tariffs are aimed at protecting electric vehicles, solar energy products and semiconductors from excess Chinese capacity, and the administration refuses to allow US firms in these sectors “to be put out of business by dumping...by a coordinated Chinese effort.” REUTERS