“Having good relations with China, safeguarding our sovereignty and settlement of issues in the East Sea are ​mutually reinforcing, not mutually exclusive,” Lam said …

China’s claims to large swathes of the South China Sea are acutely ⁠felt in Vietnam, which also claims all the Chinese-occupied Paracel islands and the entire Spratlys archipelago to the south.

So will China leave the occupied islands to ‘safeguard’ Vietnam’s sovereignty?

Will Vietnam’s growing trade deficit with China be reversed?

It doesn’t seem so.

The ‘future collaboration’ is supported by a 2026 Joint Statement, suggesting a greater level of commitment in various fields. However, this cooperation is now tied to explicit preconditions, namely, that 5G cooperation take place “in accordance with the laws of each country” as China’s Huawei is building Vietnam’s 5G network.

China also is set to build a $7.2 billion railway line from the border town of Lao Cai to the port of Hai Phong via Hanoi as part of Vietnam’s $67 billion north–south HSR megaproject, which is due to break ground by year-end.

Will this eventually safeguard - or weaken - Vietnam’s sovereignty?