© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks on the phone with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, as Biden spends the weekend at the U.S. presidential retreat at Camp David, in this official White House handout
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden will sign a strategic partnership agreement with Vietnam during a state visit to the Southeast Asian country in mid-September, Politico reported on Friday, citing three people with knowledge of the deal’s planning.
The agreement will allow for new bilateral collaboration that will boost Vietnam’s efforts to develop its high technology sector in areas including semiconductor production and artificial intelligence, Politico said.
A source familiar with the plans told Reuters on Friday that Biden was weighing a September trip to Vietnam.
Biden said this month he would be traveling to Vietnam “shortly” because the country wanted to elevate its relationship with the United States and become a major partner.
The White House has not confirmed plans for the trip. Vietnam’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday. Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang on Thursday did not confirm or deny a possible Biden visit.
“High-level leaders of the two countries have agreed and are discussing measures to further deepen bilateral relation in a stable, substantive and long-term manner, and aiming to upgrade (the relation) to a new level when possible,” Hang told a regular press conference.
At a meeting in April, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed a desire to deepen ties as Washington seeks to solidify relations with partners in Asia to counter an increasingly assertive China.
Officials have not said what the closer relationship might entail, but experts say it could include increased military cooperation and U.S. weapon supplies.