Biden lands in Vietnam to improve diplomatic ties to counter the Chinese threat — and to honor John McCain along with fellow vet John Kerry
- President Joe Biden arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sunday afternoon
- He was treated to a festive welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace by Vietnam Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.
- On Monday, he will honor Vietnam War veteran, the late Senator John McCain, along with their counterpart in the Senate, former Secretary of State John Kerry
President Joe Biden was welcomed with great pomp and ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam on Sunday, as the country upgrades its relationship with the US to that of a closest ally.
Biden arrived in Hanoi on Sunday afternoon after spending two days in India at the G20 leaders’ summit.
He was then taken to the presidential palace, where he was treated to a welcome ceremony by Vietnam Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, which included a musical performance and dozens of schoolchildren waving the flags of both countries.
Joining Biden was former Secretary of State and Senator John Kerry, whose efforts in the Vietnam War and subsequent objections to the conflict were a key part of the Democrat’s 2004 presidential election.
The two former Senate colleagues will pay tribute Monday to one of their own — Republican Sen. John McCain — who was held as a prisoner of war in Vietnam for five years after his plane was shot down on Oct. 26, 1967.
President Joe Biden (left) participates in a welcome ceremony hosted by Vietnam Communist Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong (right) at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sunday afternoon
Dozens of schoolchildren holding up both American and Vietnamese flags took part in the welcome ceremony for President Joe Biden at the presidential palace on Sunday
President Joe Biden will be welcomed to Vietnam on Sunday at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam
There is now a memorial at the crash site.
In India, Biden managed to strengthen relations with other world powers during the G20 leaders’ summit, with two major absences: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Biden’s trip to Vietnam gives him another chance to try to influence a growing regional economy that falls within China’s fears.
U.S. officials welcomed Vietnam’s appointment of the U.S. to a new level of strategic partnership, the highest on offer.
But top Vietnamese officials also took care of their relations with China before Biden’s arrival, a decision that reflects China’s powerful power and long-term commitment despite longstanding tensions between the two nations.
Vietnam “cannot be sure that the United States will really come to their aid when push comes to shove with China,” said John Ciociari, professor of public policy and director of the Weiser Diplomacy Center at the Gerald R. Ford School at the University of Michigan. told DailyMail.com.
“The country is still heavily dependent on China for trade and investment,” he noted.