US and Vietnam forge uneasy partnership

Lord Palmerston,a British foreign secretary and two-time prime minister under Queen Victoria, once said of Britain, "We have no permanent allies, we have no permanent enemies, we only have permanent interests." This remark seems apropos to the relationship between the United States and Vietnam following Washington's announcement on Thursday that it has partially lifted its long-time ban on the selling of lethal weapons to Hanoi.

According to US State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki, US Secretary of State John Kerry told visiting Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh that his department "has taken steps to allow for the future transfer of maritime security-related defense articles to Vietnam".

"This policy supports Vietnam's efforts to improve its maritime domain awareness and maritime security capabilities," Psaki said at a daily news briefing.