An ongoing visit to the US by Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong could be a turning point in the 20-year diplomatic relations between the two countries, Gregory Poling from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) told a Vietnam New Agency correspondent in Washington D.C.

Viet Nam expat communities in the US welcome Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. Photo: VNA

He continued to say relations have progressed substantially, reflected in Viet Nam’s joining of the World Trade Organisation, a boom in bilateral trade and investment activities, the establishment of a comprehensive partnership and the US partly lifting its arms embargo on Viet Nam.

Meanwhile, the expert said the conclusion of Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations could be the most prominent milestone of the Viet Nam-US ties this year.

Moving forwards, it is not a question of will their relationship grows, but how fast it will be improved, declared Poling.

Gregory Poling is a fellow with the Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies and the Pacific Partners Initiative at the CSIS.

(Source: VNA)