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2. Taking Stock of United States-Vietnam Relations 45 Years After the Fall of Saigon
- Author:
- Huong Le Thu
- Publication Date:
- 06-2020
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- East-West Center
- Abstract:
- Dr. Huong Le Thu, Senior Analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, explains that “To many, shared concerns about China are the driving force for Vietnam‐U.S. relations.”
- Topic:
- Bilateral Relations and Geopolitics
- Political Geography:
- China, Vietnam, North America, Southeast Asia, and United States of America
3. From 'Rebalance to Asia' to 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific': The Development of the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership
- Author:
- Bich T. Tran
- Publication Date:
- 11-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- East-West Center
- Abstract:
- Under the Obama administration’s Rebalance to Asia, Vietnam gradually gained importance in U.S. foreign policy as the two countries formed a “comprehensive partnership” in 2013. Despite the Trump administration’s America First policy, the United States prioritizes its partnerships with Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries in its Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy. While a common concern about China’s behavior in the South China Sea has facilitated the growth of U.S.-Vietnam relations, the foundation of the relationship is cooperation on Vietnam War legacy issues. The two countries have made remarkable progress in advancing diplomatic, economic, and defense ties regardless of remaining challenges. The year 2020 would be ideal for the United States and Vietnam to upgrade the relationship to a “strategic partnership”: it marks the 25th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral relations, Hanoi’s ASEAN chairmanship, and the start of Vietnam’s term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Bilateral Relations, Partnerships, Economy, Donald Trump, and Barack Obama
- Political Geography:
- Asia, Vietnam, and United States of America
4. Networks, Trust, and Trade: The Microeconomics of China-North Korea Integration
- Author:
- Stephan Haggard and Marcus Noland
- Publication Date:
- 06-2012
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- East-West Center
- Abstract:
- A central hope of engagement with North Korea is that increased cross-border exchange will encourage the strengthening of institutions, and eventually, a moderation of the country's foreign policy. An unprecedented survey of Chinese enterprises operating in North Korea reveals that trade is largely dominated by state entities on the North Korean side, although we cannot rule out de facto privatization of exchange. Little trust is evident beyond the relationships among Chinese and North Korean state-owned enterprises. Formal networks and dispute settlement mechanisms are weak and do not appear to have consequences for relational contracting. Rather, firms rely on personal ties for identifying counterparties and resolving disputes. The weakness of formal institutions implies that the growth in exchange does not conform with the expectations of the engagement model and may prove self-limiting. The results also cast doubt that integration between China and North Korea, at least as it is currently proceeding, will foster reform and opening.
- Topic:
- International Trade and Finance and Bilateral Relations
- Political Geography:
- China, Israel, and North Korea
5. The Microeconomics of North-South Korean Cross-Border Integration
- Author:
- Stephan Haggard and Marcus Noland
- Publication Date:
- 06-2012
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- East-West Center
- Abstract:
- Economic integration between North and South Korea occurs through three modalities: traditional arm's-length trade and investment, processing on commission (POC) trade, and operations within the Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC). In order, these three modalities are characterized by decreasing exposure of South Korean firms to North Korean policy and infrastructure. Through a survey of 200 South Korean firms operating in North Korea we find that these modalities of exchange matter greatly in terms of implied risk. For example, firms operating in the KIC are able to transact on significantly looser financial terms than those outside it. We find that direct and indirect South Korean public policy interventions influence these different modalities of exchange and thus impact entry, profitability, and sustainability of South Korean business activities in the North. In effect, the South Korean government has substituted relatively strong South Korean institutions for the relatively weak Northern ones in the KIC, thus socializing risk. As a result, the level and type of cross-border integration observed in the survey is very much a product of South Korean public policy.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, International Trade and Finance, Bilateral Relations, and Infrastructure
- Political Geography:
- Israel and Korea