The U.S. government has fully removed its decades-long ban on sales of military equipment and weapon systems to Vietnam as the two countries aim to renew their bilateral relationship, Reuters reported Monday.
Matt Spetalnick writes President Obama said during a press conference Monday with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang in Hanoi the lifting of the U.S. arms embargo on Vietnam was not related to China’s increased military activities in the South China Sea.
“It was based on our desire to complete what has been a lengthy process of moving towards normalization with Vietnam,” Obama told reporters.
The U.S. issued a policy in October 2014 to ease restrictions on weapon shipments to Vietnam in an effort to help that country address maritime surveillance and security challenges.
Vietnam’s arms procurement requests will be considered by the federal government on a case-by-case basis, according to Spetalnick’s report.
