ussian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to expand military supplies to Vietnam, a move that looks set to raise concerns from Beijing as tensions over the South China Sea linger.
In the latest sign of deepening military ties between the former allies, Putin made the announcement yesterday during a one-day state visit to Vietnam.
While still in a headlock with Vietnam over maritime territorial disputes, China sees closer Russia and Vietnam military ties as a move to counterbalance its rising power in the region.
Beijing is likely to be closely watching any discussion on future military co-operation between Russia and Vietnam during Putin’s visit, according to Zhang Mingliang , an expert on China’s relations with Southeast Asian countries from Guangzhou’s Jinan University.