Russia’s “military campaign” in Eastern Ukraine, which the US and the West call an “invasion” action, is considered a bad precedent for China to follow while Vietnam is “in a difficult position” and cannot “condemn Russia.”
While the US and other Western countries called the “special military operation” launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in eastern Ukraine on February 24 an act of “aggression,” China, which is being criticized by the West quotes about the intention of territorial expansion in Asia, denies this and avoids condemning Russia.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman in Beijing, Hua Chunying, said on February 24 that “this is probably the difference between China and the West” because China is not “in a hurry to come to the conclusion” that it is an invasion. Another spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Wenbin, on February 25 maintained this position and said that China “understands Russia’s legitimate concerns on security issues.”
Vietnam, a close partner of Russia, has yet to react after Russia attacked Ukraine. VOA sent a request for comment to a spokesperson for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Reacting to the situation in Ukraine shortly before the Russian attack, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on February 23 released a statement by Spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang in the form of answers to questions from Vietnamese and foreign reporters.
Hang said, “Vietnam pays close attention to recent tense developments surrounding the Ukraine situation and calls on all parties to exercise restraint, strengthen dialogue, and promote diplomatic measures to peacefully resolve disputes under international law,” Hang said.
“Vietnam cannot call it aggression,” said Dr. Ha Hoang Hop of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute for Southeast Asian Studies. “I think until now the Vietnamese government doesn’t call it aggression, they won’t say it. Vietnam is incapable of condemning Russia.”
Russia is the country that has the highest relationship with Vietnam, a comprehensive strategic partner. Apart from Russia, only China and India have relations of this magnitude with Vietnam.
“Vietnamese leaders are in a very difficult position with Russia being a long-time ally of theirs,” said Professor Zachary Abuza of the National War College in Washington DC, who specializes in Southeast Asia. “(Russia) is the largest supplier of weapons currently for Vietnam’s military modernization and (Hanoi) has always had a friendly relationship with Moscow.”
Russia was the main source of weapons for Vietnam during the war with the US. Currently, the focus in Vietnam’s military modernization is also military equipment from Russia, which has been sold to Vietnam submarines, warships, anti-ship jet fighters, and advanced ground-to-air missiles.
“But what Moscow is doing now poses a huge threat to Vietnam,” said Prof. Abuza, who specializes in the fields of the rule of law, maritime security, and the peace process. “It sets a dangerous legal precedent. What Vladimir (Putin) did basically shows that some countries are less sovereign. And what he’s done says that we have the right to intervene in a country to change their leadership, to make them more malleable, to make them more docile.”
Putin said he had no choice but to order what he called a special operation against Ukraine. Speaking on television after recognizing independence in Donetsk and Luhansk, Putin said Ukraine is Russia’s ancient land and an inseparable part of Russia’s history.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy compared the Russian invasion of his country to Nazi military campaigns during World War II.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on February 24 that Russia had “chosen the path of aggression against a sovereign and independent state.” European Union leaders called it an “unprovoked” attack while United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres implored Putin to “don’t allow the start in Europe of what could be a bad war.” worst since the turn of the century.”
Many protests have taken place around the world to condemn Russia’s occupation of territory in Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden on February 24 announced further sanctions on Russia and said that Mr. Putin “chosen this war“. The new US sanctions target Russia’s banks, oligarchs, and high-tech sectors.
“Dangerous precedent”
Although Vietnam’s official media has shown support for Russia, many people in the country and overseas Vietnamese do not agree with Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Dr. Hop, who has lived and worked for nearly 20 years in Eastern Europe – including Russia – and now lives in Vietnam, said that many people in the country are “disappointed” about Russia’s attack on Ukraine even though there are people who support this. Vietnamese residents living in Ukraine’s Kharkiv told VOA they had to evacuate and worry for the future while “hating” Putin and calling him an “aggressor.”
While Vietnam and many other Southeast Asian countries are keeping silent about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to avoid a conflict that they fear could cause economic harm to them, China has made it clear that on the Russian side not condemning this. Before the Winter Olympic Games took place in Beijing, Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping here and the two sides have strengthened strategic cooperation. While Russia agrees to consider Taiwan an inseparable part from China, China and Russia oppose the expansion of NATO, the military alliance that Ukraine wants to join.
“China may have some concerns about the long-term economic consequences of the war but they sided with Russia and this would create a very dangerous premise for Vietnam,” Prof. Abuza said. Vietnam recognizes Ukraine’s territory, but allowing Russia to invade Ukraine would justify China’s territorial claims to Taiwan, Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian countries in the South China Sea.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi once said at an ASEAN regional forum in Hanoi in 2010, when then-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in attendance, that: “China is a big country and other countries are big countries. small country, that’s a fact.”
Although Putin said he has no intention of invading Ukraine, the Russian president wants a “rubbed” government like Belarus, according to Professor Abuza. The professor at the US National War College also said that Putin was reviving the old Soviet concept of “limited sovereignty” – sovereign powers and weaker states have little more sovereign – and if they do not comply with the demands of the great powers, they will subject themselves to military and political interference.
Singapore is perhaps the country that has made the strongest statement in Southeast Asia on the situation in Ukraine when the country’s foreign minister said on February 23 that Singapore was extremely concerned about the decision to recognize the independence of the two regions separated from Ukraine. Ukraine. Earlier, Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in general that the country condemns any action that shows a clear violation of its territory and national sovereignty.
Prof. Abuza, the author of many books on Southeast Asia, including one on Vietnamese politics, said that if Hanoi and other Southeast Asian countries do not stand up and defend the core principle of national development law, economic and inviolable sovereignty of nations, “they have no one to blame but themselves when their sovereignty is threatened.”
Similar to this opinion, Dr. Hop also said that Vietnam should have a clear attitude towards Russia to show its attitude towards Beijing, because according to the doctor of the Singapore-based research institute, The crisis in Ukraine will give China the opportunity to “threat” Southeast Asian countries and also North Asia, creating a higher security risk for the region.
Vietnam is currently looking to diversify its supply of weapons to reduce dependence on Russia, such as buying missiles from Israel and likely soon from India while reaching an agreement to transfer international technology equipment. Japanese room. Vietnam also has more trade with the US, Japan, and other countries than with Russia. That is why Prof. Abuza said that Vietnam can “stand up for the basic principles of the international order” because otherwise, according to him, it will make Vietnam vulnerable. According to Dr. Hop, Russia is no longer a communist country and the relationship between Vietnam and Russia is no longer based on ideology to prevent Vietnam from making a clear position with Russia on the attack on Ukrainian territory.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
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