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ວັນອັງຄານ, ໑໙ ມີນາ ໒໐໒໔

ຫວຽດ​ນາມ ຊອ​ກ​ຫາ​ການ​ຮ່ວມ​ມື ​ທາງ​ທະ​ຫານ​ ກັບ​ຕ່າງ​ປ​ະ​ເທດ ເພື່ອ​ຕ້ານ​ຈີນ


ແຜນ​ທີ່​ຫວຽດ​ນາມ
ແຜນ​ທີ່​ຫວຽດ​ນາມ

​ຫວຽດ​ນາມ​ໄດ້​ສະ​ແດງ​ໃຫ້​ເຫັນ​ຢູ່​ໃນ​ລາຍ​ງານ​ສະ​ໝຸດ​ປົກ​ຂາວຂອງ​ຕົນ​ເມືອງ​ໄວໆ​ມາ​ນີ້
ວ່າ ຕົນ​ຈະ​ສືບ​ຕໍ່​ສ້າງ​ຄວາມ​ສຳ​ພັນ​ທາງ​ທະ​ຫານ​ທີ່ ​ເຂັ້ມ​ແຂງກວ່າ​ເກົ່າ​ ກັບ​ຕ່າງ​ປະ​ເທດ
ໃນ​ຂະ​ນະ​ທີ່​ຈີນທ້າ​ທາຍ​ຕໍ່​ການ​ອ້າງ​ເອົາ​ອະ​ທິ​ປະ​ໄຕ​ທາງ​ທະ​ເລ​ຂອງ​ຕົນ ແລະ​ພວກ​ນັກ​ວິ
ເຄາະ​ຄາດ​ວ່າ ມັນ​ໝາຍ​ເຖິງ​ການ​ຊ້ອມ​ລົບ​ເພີ້ມ​ຕື່ມກັບ​ມະ​ຫາ​ອຳ​ນາດທີ່​ນິ​ຍົມ​ຕາ​ເວັນ​ຕົກ
ແລະ​ການ​ຊື້ອາ​ວຸດ​ຈາກ​ຕ່າງ​ປະ​ເທດ​ຕື່ມ​ອີກ.

​ເອກ​ກະ​ສານຂອງ​ກະ​ຊວງ​ປ້ອງ​ກັນ​ປ​ະ​ເທດ ​ທີ່​ນຳ​ອອກ​ເຜີຍ​ແຜ່​ໃນ​ເດືອນ​ພະ​ຈິກ​ປີ​ກາຍ
​ນີ້ກ່າວ​ວ່າ ຫວຽດ​ນາມຈະ "​ຊຸກ​ຍູ້​ການ​ຮ​່ວມ​ມື​ໃນ​ດ້ານ​ປ້ອງ​ກັນ​ປະ​ເທດ ​ກັບ​ຕ່າງ​ປະ​ເທດ
ເພື່ອ​ຮັບ​ມື​ກັບ​ບັນ​ຫາທ້າ​ທາຍ​ດ້ານ​ຄວາມ​ໝັ້ນ​ຄົ​ງ​ຮ່ວມ​ກັນ.

ຖ້າ​ເງື່ອນ​ໄຂ​ຫາກ​ຖືກ​ຕ້ອງ ເອກ​ກະ​ສານ​ທີ່ຂຽນ​ເປັນ​ພາ​ສາ​ອົງ​ກິດ​ກ່າວ​ວ່າ "ຫວຽດ​ນາມ​
ຈະ​ພິ​ຈາ​ລະ​ນາ​ ການ​ເຄື່ອນ​ໄຫວ ໃນ​ດ້ານ​ປ້ອງ​ກັນ​ປະ​ເທດ ແລະ​ຄວາມ​ສຳ​ພັນ​ທາງ​ທະ​
ຫານ​ ທີ່ຈຳ​ເປັນ ເໝາະສົມ ກັບ​ປະ​ເທດ​ຕ່າງໆ ເພື່ອ​ຜົນກຳ​ໄລ ແລະ​ຜົນ​ປະ​ໂຫຍດ​ຮ່ວມ
​ຂອງ​ຂົງ​ເຂດ ແລະ​ປະ​ຂາ​ຄົມ​ສາ​ກົນ.

ເອກ​ກະ​ສານ​ກ່າວ​ຢ້ຳ​ເຖິງ​ ກາ​ນ​ຮ່ວມ​ມື​ ໃນ​ດ້ານ​ປ້ອງ​ກັນ​ປະ​ເທດ​ເພີ້ມ​ຂຶ້ນ ​ໃນ​ໝູ່ 10 ປະ​
ເທດ​ສະ​ມາ​ຊິກ​ອາ​ຊຽນ ແລະເອີ້ນ ການ​ແກ້​ໄຂ​ບັນ​ຫາ​ຂັດ​ແຍ້ງ​ ກັບ​ຈີນນັ້ນ​ວ່າ "ເປັນ​ຂັ້ນ
ຕອນ​ໄລ​ຍະ​ຍາວ ທີ່​ຫຍຸ້ງ​ຍາກ ແລະ​ຊັບ​ຊ້ອນ ທີ່​ພົວ​ກັນ​ກັບ​ຫຼາຍໆ​ປະ​ເທດ ແລະ​ຫຼາຍໆ
ພັກ​ຝ່າຍ." ສອງ​ປະ​ເທດ​ທີ່​ຕັ້ງ​ຢູ່​ໃນ​ທະ​ວີບ​ເອ​ເຊຍດັ່ງ​ກ່າວ ຊຶ່ງ​ມີ​ບັນ​ຫາ​ຂັດ​ແຍ້ງ​ກ່ຽວ​ກັບ​
ຊາຍ​ແດນມາ​ເປັນ​ເວ​ລາ​ຫຼາຍ​ສັດ​ຕະ​ວັດ​ນັ້ນ ເວ​ລານີ້ ພວມ​ຍາດ​ແຍ່ງ​ກັນ​ອ້າງ​ເອົາ​ອະ​ທິ
ປະ​ໄຕ​ເໜືອ​ໝູ່​ເກາະ​ໝູ່ດອນ​ຈຳ​ນວນ​ນຶ່ງ ໃນ​ທະ​ເລ​ຈີນ​ໃຕ້.

​ພວກ​ນັກ​ຊ່ຽວ​ຊານ​ເຊື່ອ​ວ່າ ສະ​ໝຸດ​ສະ​ບັບ​ນີ້ ໃຫ້​ສັນ​ຍານ​ວ່າ ຈະ​ມີ​ການ​ຊື້​ອາ​ວຸດ​ທີ່​ກ້າວ
​ໜ້າ​ທັນ​ສະ​ໄໝ​ຕື່ມ​ຈາກ​ປະເທດ​ຕ່າງໆ​ເຊັ່ນ​ຣັດ​ເຊຍ ແລະ​ເຂົ້າ​ຮ່ວມ​ການ​ຊ້ອມ​ລົບທາງ
ທະ​ຫານ​ລະ​ຫວ່າງ​ປະ​ເທດ​ເພີ້ມ​ຂຶ້ນ ຊຶ່ງ​ນຶ່ງ​ໃນ​ນັ້ນ ກໍ​ແມ່ນ​ເຂົ້າ​ຮ່ວມການ​ຊ້ອມ​ລົບ​ຂອງ
​ກຸ່ມ 10 ປະເທດ​ສະ​ມາ​ຊິກ​ອາ​ຊຽນ ເທື່ອ​ທຳ​ອິດ ກັບ​ສະ​ຫະ​ລັດ ຊຶ່ງ​ເປັນ​ຄູ່​ປໍ​ລະ​ປັກ​ທີ່​ສຳ
ຄັນ​ຂອງ​ຈີນ ໃນ​ເດືອນ​ກັນ​ຍານີ້.

Vietnam indicates in a recent defense white paper it will pursue stronger military ties abroad as China challenges its maritime sovereignty claims, and analysts expect that to mean more exercises with Western-leaning foreign powers and brisker purchases of foreign weapons.

The Southeast Asian country will "promote defense cooperation" abroad to handle mutual security challenges, the Ministry of National Defense paper released in November says.

As conditions are right, the English-language paper says, "Vietnam will consider developing necessary, appropriate defense and military relations with other countries … for mutual benefits and common interests of the region and international community."

The document stresses more defense cooperation among 10 Southeast Asian nations and calls settling differences with China a "long-term, difficult and complex process involving multiple countries and parties." The two Asian neighbors, which have centuries of border disputes, now contest sovereignty over tracts of the South China Sea.

The paper should signal more procurement of advanced weapons from countries such as Russia and joining more multinational defense exercises, analysts believe. One such event was the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc's first maritime exercises with China's chief rival, the United States, in September.

"If we read between the lines, we can see the Vietnamese hinting at the possibility that they may deepen cooperation with other powers, but how far they can go they don't say specifically in the paper," said Nguyen Thanh Trung, Center for International Studies director at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City.

Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam contest all or parts of the 3.5-million-square-kilometer South China Sea. They value the waterway, which stretches from Taiwan west to Singapore, for its fisheries and energy reserves.

China has taken a military and technological lead during the past decade by using landfill to build out small islets under its control. Some now support hangars and airstrips.

Chinese maritime activity angers Vietnam especially because China controls the Paracel Islands, a 130-islet archipelago claimed by both sides. The two sides faced off in deadly sea battles in the 1970s and 1980s, fanning Vietnamese resentment, already strong from a two-war land border dispute.
A Chinese energy survey ship sparked a standoff with Vietnam last year as it patrolled near an oil and gas block on the Vietnamese continental shelf, also within China's maritime claim.

The white paper dovetails with a 2018 Communist Party Central Committee resolution calling for becoming what domestic media outlet VnExpress International calls "a powerful maritime nation."

The paper, the first since 2009, follows from Vietnam's gradual accumulation of 28 partnerships with foreign countries, some with a military dimension. India and Vietnam signed a deal in 2018 to step up defense cooperation, and Vietnamese military personnel already train at Australian defense institutions.
The paper's wording implies that Vietnamese officials feel confident they can join any future U.S. military exercises with ASEAN, Nguyen said.

Vietnam will not engage one country to strike another, the white paper says, a pledge that precludes any treaty alliances, said Collin Koh, maritime security research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Foreign military bases are also considered unlikely.

The white paper doesn't rule out a tighter defense relationship with Washington, said Carl Thayer, emeritus professor with the University of New South Wales in Australia.

"You might want to read it as a very nuanced way of you push us too far, we'll go closer to the U.S.' but it's not that explicit in there," Thayer said, although when U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper visited Vietnam in November, he talked up what the U.S. Embassy called a "defense partnership."
Arms sales

Foreign defense cooperation may augur more deals to buy arms from Russia, India and eventually the United States, analysts believe.

In 2018 the country signed a deal to order more than $1 billion from its long-time submarine and aircraft supplier Russia. Two years earlier, India extended $500 million in credit for any military purchases. China, also a political rival of India, protested that idea.

Trump administration officials have explored selling weapons to Vietnam. In 2018 the U.S. State Department indicated it wanted to Vietnam to buy more weapons from the United States despite price tags that the country might find hard to pay, military news outlet DefensenNews reported.Four years ago Washington lifted an embargo on lethal arms sales to Vietnam, ending a remnant from U.S. Vietnam War.

The white paper doesn't mention specific defense expenditures, nor does it bore down into details of Vietnam's disputes with China or name the fellow communist government as a target.

"I think in a way this white paper is trying to strike a balance between the need to send a signal and yet at the same time trying not to appear too provocative toward certain parties," Koh said.

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