For Vietnam, China is both a neighbor, a former occupant, an old ally, a former enemy. And since it became a power capable of holding a candle to the rest of the world and occupy a seat to the less invasive at the regional level, China is more than ever to Vietnam a source of concern 'geopolitical. Echaudé by its complex history with China, the "little dragon" is concerned.He started taking appropriate measures-cons: rapprochement with the United States, pursuing diplomacy "multilateral" and choosing a strategy to rally other countries in emerging Asia that share its concerns with respect of the "great dragon". One could certainly argue that the development of China is also the Socialist Republic of Vietnam the promise of profitable trade relations with the latter and the realization of benefits Chinese investment for its modernization.
But the rise so fast and so dramatically from its neighbor remains a constant obsession to Hanoi. The population, she does little to "son of heaven" in his heart. Recently, the Chinese participation in a large bauxite mine on the Central Highlands has been the subject of a petition that has gathered a considerable number of signatures, the hero of Dien Bien Phu, General Giap.
The Vietnamese can not bear to be identified with the Empire of the North where they have served for a millennium! China occupied Vietnam from 111 BC until 939; and in the fifteenth century, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty have sent their soldiers during two decades. Communism and anti-colonial struggle, however, meet the latest Chinese and Vietnamese, in time of war against the French and Americans.
However, in 1979, because the "brother" Vietnamese ally of "revisionist" Soviet dared to go free Cambodia of the Khmer Rouge supported by Beijing, China decides to "punish" its southern neighbor: she attacks. But the "bo doi Vietnamese fight like lions on the frontier and inflicted heavy casualties on the Chinese soldiers.
The former country of the "peace of the South" (Annam), as had called a time the Chinese had not given way to its former overlord. In 2010, Vietnam celebrated the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China. But the Vietnamese know how to use the art of evil: in the autumn, an exhibition at the Museum of Military History in Hanoi put in parallel the struggle of Vietnam against the French and American imperialists with the struggles against the occupying Chinese, evoking the battles against China over the ages.
The question of the Sino-Vietnamese is one of the most sensitive to Hanoi because the government must find a delicate balance: accommodate China and secure its rear by building new alliances. In the summer of 2010 during a meeting of countries of the Association of Asian Nations South-East Nations (ASEAN), which held the rotating presidency Vietnam, the Vietnamese communists had every reason to rejoice statements Hillary Clinton: About the dispute between - among others - Vietnam and China over Spratly and Paracel archipelagos in the South China Sea, the U.S.
Secretary of State considered that the "peaceful resolution" of territorial disputes was a matter of "national interest" to the United States. Wrath of the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs. He later estimated that the U.S. statement was an "attack" against China. Beijing can not stand to see the Americans get involved in a quarrel she describes as "bilateral".
For Vietnamese caciques power, the output of Hillary Clinton could not be more sweet music to their ears: Vietnam seeks to avoid the trap of negotiating with China alone on the future of these islands. Hanoi wants to ensure the maximum possible support abroad. "The Vietnamese are literally rolling out the red carpet before the Americans," said one diplomat.
Joint military exercises, twice a month visit to Mrs. Clinton in the wake of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Hanoi does not skimp on the signs friendly to Washington. Vietnam does not stop there: he intends to try to reach a common position on China within ASEAN. He has approached the European Union, which he sees as an important partner.
He looks to India, with which it will strengthen its military cooperation. He takes care of expanding its armament: Hanoi has purchased from Russia 6 Russian submarines and has bought 20 fighter jets like Sukhoi Su-30. The countries of the "peace of the South" has the means to guarantee this.
Email: philip @ bbc. fr. Bruno Philip Article published in the edition of 22.01.11
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