US gives Vietnam more patrol boats as defence links grow
The US handed over six patrol boats and equipment worth $12 million to the Vietnamese coast guard, the embassy in Hanoi said 1 April 2019, as the former foes continue to boost political and defence links.
Vietnam and the US have become staunch allies in recent years as China exerts influence in the hotly contested South China Sea. The latest military deal saw the US transfer six 45ft (14m) Metal Shark patrol boats to counterparts on the central coastline of Khanh Hoa on 29 March.
It was the third handover in a four-tier deal and marks ‘another important step in the continued security cooperation between the United States and Vietnam’, the embassy said. The latest delivery brings the number of ships handed over to Vietnam to 18, and there will be 24 in total.
The previous tranche of boats arrived a year ago and followed a historic visit of a US aircraft carrier, the first since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Vietnam Coast Guard Col Nguyen Minh Khanh said the transfer marks ‘another milestone and evidence of the continued friendship between the US and Vietnam’.
The boats will be used to combat trafficking, piracy, illegal fishing and other maritime law enforcement, the statement said.
Vietnam has long been at odds with Beijing over the South China Sea and is keen to flex its military might by strengthening military ties with the US and other powerful allies. Beijing claims most of the resource-rich waterway and has built artificial islands and deployed military equipment to the sea.
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