Rahul Mishra and Harshit Prajapati
In early December, China and Vietnam convened their first-ever “3+3 strategic dialogue“—a mechanism unprecedented in both nations’ diplomacy.
Built on the three pillars of defense, diplomacy and public security, the dialogue was held at the vice-ministerial level just before the 16th meeting of the China-Vietnam Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation.
This new dialogue underscores the respective anxieties of the two neighbors, which are deeply entangled in territorial and resource disputes in the contested Spratly and Paracel Island chains in an increasingly fluid global geostrategic landscape.
Vietnam is known to be concerned that Trump’s tariff war might shift focus from China to itself amid speculation it often serves as a transshipment site for what are really Chinese-made goods. At the same time, Hanoi is wary of China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea.
For its part, China is seeking to prevent South China Sea disputes from spiraling out of its control and is aiming to preemptively neutralize potential US exploitation of the situation.
Contrary to perceptions that the new 3+3 dialogue signifies Vietnam’s alignment with China, seasoned observers see the mechanism as a pragmatic response to overlapping interests rather than a hierarchical shift in Vietnam’s foreign policy.
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