HANOI, Vietnam, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates, visiting one-time enemy Vietnam, will find a country unabashedly seeking U.S. backing against China, Pentagon aides said.
Gates arrived Sunday in Hanoi for a meeting of defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, The New York Times reported.
A prime issue will be how to cope with China's expanded claims of maritime sovereignty and resources in the South China Sea, the report said. Beijing has backed up those claims with threats of economic reprisals against some nations.
A senior Defense Department official on Gates's plane to Hanoi was careful to describe how the defense ministers would discuss the issue, with China in attendance, the Times reported.
Gates has scheduled private talks with his Vietnamese counterpart. He must reassure Asian nations that the United States will remain engaged in the region without undermining his drive to restore the military-to-military dialogue with China, the report said.
Last year, Vietnam, worried about Chinese expansion, signed deals with Russia to buy six Kilo-class diesel-powered hunter-killer submarines for $1.8 billion and eight Sukhoi jet-fighters for another $500 million, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The United States has assisted Vietnam with military training and officer education.
