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Lifting Vietnamese arms embargo backed by Sen. Tom Carper

Courtesty of the State Department
Sen. Tom Carper (D) meeting with the vice chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly

Delaware's senior senator is applauding President Obama lifting an arms embargo with Vietnam, saying it will fully normalize relations and be an economic win for both countries.

 

Sen. Tom Carper (D), who served three tours with the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, traveled with Obama to the southeast Asian country last week for the announcement.

 

He says it will help forge strong ties between countries that were entrenched in an exceedingly violent war four decades ago and lead to more economic opportunities.

 

In return for a $16 billion deal for military planes and aircraft engines, he says the Vietnamese will begin lowering trade tariffs that have choked American exports out of their domestic market for years.

 

“That trade imbalance and the [lifting of the arms] embargo, plus the adoption of the [Transpacific Partnership] will equalize trading and be a much better arrangement for us going forward, as well as for the Vietnamese,” Carper said.

 

Human rights organizations say the embargo should stay in place until Vietnam puts on free and open elections, ceases violent crackdowns on dissidents and becomes less of a police state.

 

Carper says he spoke with one dissident who says lifting the embargo will build stronger ties with America, ultimately hastening reform.

 

“He thinks in the end it’ll be a positive thing. Not everybody sees it that way, but I think in this case the president, he voted his hopes, maybe not his fears and I’m hopeful he’s right,” he said.

 
China, Vietnam’s largest trading partner, publicly applauded the lifting of the embargo, though it’s unclear if it might lead to backroom diplomatic headaches.
 

Analysts say the move could create further tensions in the South China Sea, which Beijing has fiercely defended as its own territory amid other claims by Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.