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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — President Biden said late Tuesday he plans to travel to Vietnam, a Southeast Asian nation that is considered a key U.S. partner as China exerts its influence over the region.
Mr. Biden announced the trip during a political fundraiser at a private home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The trip and its dates have not been formally announced by the White House.
The president will travel to the Indo-Pacific region next month for the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi, India. Mr. Biden previously mentioned that Vietnamese leaders were interested in improving their ties to the U.S.
“I’ve gotten a call from the head of Vietnam, desperately wants to meet me when I go to the G20,” Mr. Biden supporters at a political reception in Maine on July 29. “He wants to elevate us to a major partner, along with Russia and China. What do you think that’s about? No, I’m not joking.”
President Obama visited Vietnam in 2016 as part of a reconciliation process between the nations after U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War ended in 1973.
Mr. Obama ended a lengthy arms ban on Vietnam, allowing it to buy American-made weapons and technology as part of a broader push to improve trade and push back against a rising China.
• Jeff Mordock reported from Albuquerque.
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