This upgrading of the defence relationship must be seen in the context of Vietnam being one of the nations contesting China’s South China Sea claim. As far as the former goes, the South China Sea dispute has gained outsize importance. Chinese President Xi Jinping might have promised action, but he announced no specific measures. From Chinese overcapacity to the South China Sea, there are many hurdlesMuch has been written and said about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent US visit, and understandably so. The high anti-dumping rates it consequently imposed on Chinese steel imports last month made for an inauspicious lead-up to the SED.

Source: Mint June 14, 2016 23:03 UTC