A Journal of People report
In a major development in geopolitics, northeast and southeast Asia have gone through important maneuvers by Russia. Russia’s president Vladimir Putin has recently visited North Korea and Vietnam. An agreement between Russia and North Korea is also a powerful move by the two countries.
Putin has visited Vietnam days ago. He headed a top-level delegation and signed a dozen strategic partnership and cooperation agreements.
The trip followed the Russian president’s state visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK/North Korea), where a comprehensive new partnership treaty was signed with Putin’s North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un’s government in Pyongyang.
Putin met with his Vietnamese counterpart To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, parliament speaker Tran Thanh Man, and the general secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong. The main topics of the meetings in Hanoi were economic partnership, trade, and scientific and technical cooperation.
A Vietnamese delegation greeted Putin on the red carpet with a guard of honor, as he landed at Hanoi’s Noi Bai international airport late on Wednesday night, 19th of June 2024.
Among the Vietnamese officials who met the Russian president were Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang and Le Hoai Trung, secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and head of its Commission for External Relations.
On Thursday, 20th of June 2024, Putin paid his respects at the President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi and the Memorial to Fallen Heroes, opened in 1994 to mark the 40th anniversary of the Vietnamese victory over French colonial occupation.
He also invited President Lam to the 2025 Victory Day celebrations in Moscow.
Putin’s Article
Ahead of his visit to Vietnam, Putin wrote an article for Nhan Dan, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Vietnam, where he laid out the agenda for his meetings with the leadership in Hanoi, in particular boosting investment and mutual trade.
“[Russian] food, mineral resources, machinery and equipment are exported to Vietnam. Many Vietnamese goods, including clothing, fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products, are in demand on the Russian market,” he wrote.
Putin also reminded the Vietnamese of the support they received from the Soviet Union in “their heroic struggle against the French, and then the American invaders,” and to rebuild Vietnam afterward.
Around 60% of transactions between Russia and Vietnam are now carried out using the countries’ respective currencies, bypassing the U.S. dollar and euro, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In the article, Putin noted that the two countries were paying serious attention to enhancing mutual trade and promoting investment, particularly in the Russian ruble and the Vietnamese dong.
“Such transactions accounted for more than 40% of bilateral trade last year, and in the first quarter of this year their share rose to almost 60%,” the Russian leader said, adding that this was in line with the global trend towards phasing out the use of “widely discredited currencies” in international trade and investment.
Putin acknowledged the importance of the Vietnam-Russia Joint Venture Bank, which was set up by the two countries in 2006 with the aim of strengthening their economic ties.
Citing official statistics, the Russian president said that bilateral trade rose by 8% in 2023 and continues to grow, adding that the energy sector remains a strategically important area of cooperation.
“Many Vietnamese goods, including clothing, fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products, are in demand on the Russian market,” Putin stated, lauding the role of the free economic trade agreement between the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Vietnam.
The EAEU, established in 2015, is based on the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. It was later joined by Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. In 2016, Vietnam officially became the first non-regional country to become a free-trade partner of the bloc. The group also has three observer states: Cuba and two other former Soviet nations, Moldova and Uzbekistan. Iran is also expected to join the EAEU.
The union is designed to ensure the free movement of goods, services, capital, and workers between member nations
Joint Statement
According to the joint communiqué released in Hanoi, Russia and Vietnam agreed to strengthen their bilateral interaction and create new mechanisms for cooperation.
Moscow thanked Hanoi for Vietnam’s “balanced and objective stance on the Ukraine crisis,” while Vietnam expressed support for Russia’s fight against terrorism.
The two countries called for the creation of an independent Palestinian state, opposed the deployment of weapons in space, and endorsed strengthening the role of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in tin regional interstate relations.
On the same day, Putin took questions from Vietnamese graduates of Soviet and Russian universities at the Opera House in Hanoi, followed by a gala reception hosted by President Lam.
“I believe that the fight for one’s historical roots, for one’s traditional values is an extremely important aspect for any state, for any country and for any people who want to survive as such and preserve their identity,” the Russian president told his Vietnamese audience.
During the question-and-answer session, Putin addressed topics ranging from science, technology, space exploration and eye surgeries to music, patriotic upbringing and tourism.
Agreements
During the visit, the two countries signed 15 documents, including eleven agreements aimed at strengthening the “comprehensive strategic partnership” between the two countries.
The agreements concerned higher education, justice, combating epidemics, nuclear technology, offshore oil exploration, tax policy, customs, and transportation.
The two countries paid particular attention to the project led by Russia’s atomic energy agency Rosatom, to build a Center for Nuclear Science and Technology in Vietnam over the next three years.
Vietnam Working on BRICS Membership Bid
Citing Hanoi’s embassy in Russia, Russian newspaper Izvestia reported that Vietnam is actively working on a bid to join the BRICS economic group,.
Vietnam has yet to make a decision on a formal membership bid, although it is establishing a framework for BRICS participation and a potential request to join the group, Izvestia said, citing Vietnam’s diplomatic mission in Moscow. Hanoi has not revealed if Vietnam will send a delegation to the BRICS summit scheduled for the Russian city of Kazan in October.
Many nations have expressed interest in becoming BRICS members, and some countries have already formally submitted applications, which include Bahrain, Belarus, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Pakistan Senegal, Thailand and Venezuela.
Vietnam’s economy has been a development success story, according to the World Bank. Economic reforms undertaken over the past four decades have helped propel the country from being one of the world’s poorest nations to a middle-income economy in one generation. The Vietnamese economy grew by 5.05% in 2023, missing the official growth target of 6.5%, although the World Bank has forecast steady GDP growth in the coming years.
Vietnam’s manufacturing sector includes industries such as textiles and garments, electronics, machinery, footwear, and food processing, and has attracted significant foreign investment.
Hanoi has adopted a neutral stance towards Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. Vietnam abstained on four of the UN General Assembly resolutions condemning Moscow’s actions, and voted against a motion to remove Russia from the UN Human Rights Council.
U.S. Envoy in Vietnam
A senior U.S. envoy has traveled to Vietnam for diplomatic talks just days after Putin made a state visit to the Southeast Asian country.
Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant U.S. secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs, insisted on Saturday, 22nd of June 2024 that his trip was not related to the Russian delegation’s visit. In fact, he told reporters in Hanoi that trust between the U.S. and Vietnam is at an “all-time high.”
Kritenbrink’s comments came less than one week after the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi rebuked the Vietnamese government for daring to host talks with Putin at a time when the Russia-Ukraine conflict is raging. “No country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalize his atrocities,” an embassy spokesperson told Reuters prior to Putin’s Vietnam visit.
The U.S. diplomat sounded a different tone on Saturday, saying the main reason for his meeting with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son was to support the relationship between the two countries. “Only Vietnam can decide how best to safeguard its sovereignty and advance its interests,” Kritenbrink said at a press briefing.
The U.S. started normalizing diplomatic relations with Vietnam in the 1990s, two decades after ending a catastrophic war that left upward of 1 million Vietnamese dead and countless more maimed. Washington’s diplomatic status in Hanoi was upgraded during Biden’s visit to the country last September.
Kritenbrink, who arrived in Hanoi the day after Putin left, said he wanted to continue pushing the U.S.-Vietnam relationship forward and making sure that agreements between the two governments were being implemented. “We continue to believe that the US-Vietnam partnership has never been stronger,” he claimed.
Putin’s Visit to North Korea
Vladimir Putin paid a state visit to the DPRK on Wednesday, 19th of June 2024, where he met with the country’s leader Kim Jong-un and participated in comprehensive bilateral talks on economic, security, and global issues.
The trip marked the first time the Russian president had traveled to North Korea since first taking office in 2000, when he visited Pyongyang to meet with then-leader Kim Jong-il.
Putin’s delegation included Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, Transport Minister Roman Starovoyt, and several other senior officials, including Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov.
Putin touched down in the North Korean capital in the early hours of Wednesday and was greeted by Kim Jong-un at the airport. Ahead of his arrival, the streets of Pyongyang were decked out with countless Russian flags, alternating with DPRK flags. Multiple banners were also placed along the route of the presidential motorcade, featuring greetings in Russian and Korean, and portraits of the Russian head of state.
A ceremony was also held in honor of Putin’s arrival on Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang. The event featured a performance by a DPRK military orchestra, as hundreds of residents packed the square for the occasion.
Aside from formal negotiations and signing official documents, Putin exchanged gifts with Kim, attended a gala concert, laid flowers at a monument to Soviet soldiers who helped liberate Korea from Japan during World War II, and took part in a reception in honor of the Russian delegation’s visit.
Negotiations between the two leaders, which involved the countries’ delegations, lasted for an hour and a half, and were followed by a one-on-one discussion between the two leaders.
During the meeting, both sides expressed appreciation for each other’s support. The Russian leader noted that relations between the two nations are rooted in history, and based on the principles of “equality and mutual respect of each other’s interests.”
Kim stated that North Korea sees Russia as “the most honest friend and comrade” and noted Russia’s mission and role in “upholding strategic stability and balance in the world.” He also expressed Pyongyang’s support for Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine.
A Treaty: Assist Each Other
Following the bilateral negotiations, Putin and Kim signed a Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, designed to “lay the groundwork” for future bilateral relations in all spheres, including cultural and tourist ties, trade, economic relations and security.
The agreement also includes a pledge by Russia and the DPRK to assist each other in case of foreign aggression, as both leaders decried attempts by the U.S. and its satellites to destabilize the situation in Southeast Asia.
Putin emphasized Pyongyang’s right to take “reasonable steps” to ensure its security and protect its sovereignty, and vowed to engage in political and diplomatic efforts to prevent a new armed conflict on the Korean peninsula.
He also denounced the “indefinite restrictions regime” imposed on Pyongyang by the UN Security Council and urged for it to be revised.
The “indefinite restrictions regime” imposed on North Korea by the UN Security Council includes an arms embargo, as “orchestrated by the U.S.” and Putin urged for it to be revised.
Kim described the new agreement as a “peaceful and defensive” document that “provides for maintaining peace and stability in the region.” He added that the treaty promotes the common interests of Russia and the DPRK, and expressed confidence that it would become “a driving force in accelerating the creation of a new multipolar world.”
Following his official visit, Putin formally invited Kim to make a return visit to Moscow at some point in the future, and thanked the residents of Pyongyang for the warm welcome.
Russia and DPRK Agree on Mutual Aid Against Aggression
Moscow and Pyongyang have pledged to assist each other against foreign aggression, the Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday during a visit to North Korea.
The strategic partnership agreement the two leaders signed will serve as a roadmap for future cooperation in all spheres, from cultural and tourist ties, to trade, economic relations and security, the Russian leader has said, calling it “truly a breakthrough.”
“The document on comprehensive partnership that we have signed today provides, among other things, for mutual aid in case of aggression against one of the participants,” the president added.
Moscow supports Pyongyang’s intention to protect its security and sovereignty from possible Western aggression, which is its right, Putin said. The country considers the U.S. and its allies responsible for the increasing tensions in the region, he added.
Article four of the Russia-DPRK strategic partnership treaty says, “if one of the Parties is subjected to an armed attack by any State or several States and thus finds itself in a state of war, the other Party will immediately provide military and other assistance with all the means at its disposal.”
The Article three notes: “In the event of an immediate threat of an act of armed aggression against one of the Parties, the Parties, at the request of one of the Parties, shall immediately use bilateral channels for consultations in order to coordinate their positions and agree on possible practical measures to assist each other to help eliminate the emerging threat.” During the consultations, a specific strategy and measures will be developed.
Article eight states the possibility of joint military exercises or other “joint measures to strengthen defense capabilities in the interests of preventing war and ensuring regional and international peace and security.”
Article sixteen criticizes “unilateral coercive measures.”
New areas of cooperation between Russia and North Korea include the healthcare, science and culture.
The two countries will build an automobile bridge between Russia and North Korea.
Overused Propaganda
“Overused Western propaganda tropes can no longer hide their aggressive geopolitical intentions, including in Northeastern Asia,” Putin said.
Putin noted that Western nations were supplying advanced weapons to Ukraine and have given Kiev the green light to strike Russia. Under these circumstances, “Russia does not rule out the development of military cooperation with the DPRK under the document signed today.”
The Russian president had previously warned the West over Kiev’s desire to use donated weapons to conduct attacks deep inside Russia. Should that happen, Moscow could send similar types of weapons to enemies of the West, which could use them to strike the military assets of the US and its allies, he said earlier this month.
Pyongyang has an “objective and balanced” stance on the Ukraine conflict and sees its core causes, which proves North Korea’s independence and sovereignty, Putin said. The two nations are also on the same page in supporting “a more just and democratic multipolar world” that should replace the previous Western-centric system.
”We will continue to oppose the imposition of strangling sanctions, which the West has turned into a tool of maintaining its hegemony in politics, the economy and other areas,” the president vowed.
Recalling the lengthy record of Russian cooperation with North Korea, Putin noted the role that the Soviet Union played in the fight against Imperial Japan during the Second World War and the reconstruction efforts following the Korean civil war, which split the Korean Peninsula between two rivals. Moscow was the party with which Pyongyang signed its first international agreement 75 years ago, he added.
Article: North Korea
In an article for North Korea’s main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, the Russian leader presented an important position: Strengthening of relations between Russia and North Korea is the beginning of a new world order based on justice, which will oppose the U.S. model of a rules-based world order.
Putin: NATO is moving into Asia
NATO’s new focus on the Asia-Pacific is not only a security threat to all countries in the region, but is to Russia as well and Moscow is obliged to respond, Putin warned on Thursday, 20th of June 2024.
The Russian leader was speaking at a press conference after meetings with his Vietnamese counterpart To Lam in Hanoi, a day after signing a strategic partnership treaty with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang.
“We see what is happening in Asia, right? A bloc system is being put together… NATO is already moving there as if to a permanent place of residence. This, of course, poses a threat to all countries in the region, including the Russian Federation. We are obliged to respond to this and we will do so,” he insisted.
The Russian president noted that global developments mean that strengthening cooperation with partners is a priority, “especially in those areas that we consider important, including taking into account what is happening in Asia.”
Russia also reserves the right to provide arms to allies, as the West claims it can arm Ukraine with impunity, and could send long-range weapons to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and other countries, Putin added.
Last month, in a thinly veiled reference to NATO and other Western-dominated organizations, Putin warned that the Asia-Pacific region is “no place for closed military and political alliances,” adding that both China and Russia deem the establishment of such blocs as “harmful and counterproductive.”
In 2021, the US, UK and Australia established the AUKUS security partnership, with the main goal of helping Canberra acquire nuclear-powered submarines. Washington is reportedly attempting to fast track Canada and Japan’s membership.
China has condemned the AUKUS pact as an attempt to build an “Asia-Pacific version of NATO,” with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin arguing last year that it is based on a “Cold War mentality which will only motivate an arms race, damage the international nuclear nonproliferation regime, and harm regional stability and peace.”
Earlier this year, the Chinese Foreign Ministry also denounced NATO as a “walking war machine that causes chaos wherever it goes.” Beijing has accused the US-led bloc of meddling in Asian affairs, branding it a “terrible monster” that has extended a “black hand” toward the region.
Putin: Russia could Arm North Korea
Russia reserves the right to provide arms to allies, as the West claims it can arm Ukraine with impunity, and could send long-range weapons to the DPRK and other countries, Vladimir Putin has said.
Putin was speaking with reporters in Hanoi following his meetings with Vietnam’s leadership on Thursday. One of the questions related to his previous suggestion that Moscow could send missiles to adversaries of the West, in response to the U.S. and its allies greenlighting Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia.
”We do not rule out supplying weapons to other countries, including the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” Putin said. “Let the West think where they might end up.”
Western countries that have supplied long-range and other weapons to Ukraine have said they cannot be held responsible for how Kiev uses them, and insist that it does not make them parties to the conflict, Putin elaborated, adding that Russia therefore reserves the same right for itself.
The Russian president also noted that Moscow is considering modifications to its doctrine on the use of atomic weapons, as the West appears to be working on low-yield weapons to lower the nuclear threshold.
Putin: No Need for First Strike
“We do not need a first strike,” Putin said in response to another question. “Because our return strike is guaranteed to destroy any attacker.”
When asked about the peace terms he offered Ukraine last week, Putin said that Russia has always been willing to negotiate, while Kiev and its Western backers sabotaged both the Minsk process and the Istanbul talks. However, the terms he outlined will not be valid forever, Putin cautioned.
”Our terms will change depending on the situation on the ground,” the Russian president said.
In North Korea, strategic partnership has been made by Russia. This is the highest possible level of cooperation between countries. This is a powerful development.
The U.S.-led axis in East Asia is composed with the U.S.-Japan-South Korea is taking shape of an Asian NATO.
In response, cooperation between Russia-China-North Korea is developing.
South Korea
In view of the development in Russia-North Korea, there is possibility that South Korea will engage into more close cooperation with the U.S. and NATO. Seoul will also take more active role on issues of Ukraine. This will deteriorate South Korea’s relation with Russia.
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