President Joe Biden and senior executives from top US tech companies including Google and Intel met with Vietnamese business leaders on Monday, after which the two countries agreed to deepen cooperation as Washington seeks to counter China’s growing clout.
Biden and the head of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party – the country’s paramount leader – signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership” as Washington pushes to boost its network of allies in Asia and the Pacific.
The United States sees the creation of Dynamo Vietnam as an important part of its plan to reduce dependence on China for the supply of strategic resources, and the new agreement includes agreements on semiconductors and rare earths.
Executives from tech giant Google, chip makers Intel and GlobalFoundries and aviation giant Boeing joined Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken for an “innovation and investment summit.”
He spoke with senior people from several leading Vietnamese tech and manufacturing companies, including electric car maker Vinfast, internet firm VNG and digital wallet Momo.
At the talks, Biden announced that flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has agreed to a $7.8 billion deal with Boeing to buy 50 medium-range 737 airliners.
Other deals announced include Microsoft developing “tailor-made generic AI-based solutions for Vietnam” and NVIDIA teaming up with local companies to deploy artificial intelligence in the cloud, automotive and healthcare sectors.
Biden departed Vietnam on Monday to visit Alaska for the 9/11 memorial.