The North American government is negotiating to sell a fleet of F16 fighter jets to the Asian country in 2024
Aides to US President Joe Biden said the US government plans to sell a fleet of F16 fighter jets to Vietnam. If the agreement is signed, it would be the largest arms transfer between the two countries in history.
According to the Portal news agency, the agreement, which is still in its early stages, was discussed in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi and in the North American cities of New York and Washington. The US would be interested in offering “special prices” to Vietnam. Pricing was not disclosed and the deal is expected to close in 2024, according to Portal.
CHINA
The South China Sea is part of the Pacific Ocean. It covers an area of around 3.5 million km² and runs from Singapore to the Taiwan Strait. The sea is part of territorial disputes between China and other Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam. The US is also embroiled in a geopolitical dispute with Beijing over the freedom to navigate disputed waters.
According to Portal, a US official said the country has a “very productive and promising security relationship” with Vietnam.
“We see their interest [Vietnã] on some US systems, particularly anything that could help them better monitor their maritime domain, perhaps transport aircraft and some other platforms,” the US official explained.