Obama and Vietnam Communist Party chief talk human rights, religious freedom
| Washington
President Obama聽said Tuesday that despite differences between the United States and聽Vietnam聽over "political philosophy," the two countries are deepening cooperation on health, climate and other issues.
Obama聽spoke following an Oval Office meeting with Nguyen Phu Trong, the head of聽Vietnam's聽Communist Party. Trong is the de facto leader of聽Vietnam聽despite holding no official government post.
Twenty years after normalizing diplomatic ties with its one-time foe, the U.S. is eager to improve relations with Vietnam. Officials see聽Vietnam聽as a country that could be a linchpin in聽Obama's聽Asia policy. As a front-line country nervous about Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea,聽Vietnam聽would also welcome the U.S. taking a tough line against Beijing.
Even as聽Obama聽and Trong emphasized areas of cooperation, the U.S. president said they spoke candidly about human rights and religious freedom in聽Vietnam.
Trong said he extended an invitation for聽Obama聽to visit聽Vietnam聽and the president had accepted. While聽Obama noted the invitation, he made no specific commitments to travel to聽Vietnam聽during his presidency.
Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both visited聽Vietnam聽after diplomatic ties were established.
Obama聽is the first post-Vietnam War president who didn't come of age during that culturally searing conflict. The war remains a defining event in the lives of two of the nation's leading foreign policy voices 鈥� Secretary of State John Kerry and Sen. John McCain, Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Following the White House meeting, Vice President Joe Biden hosted Trong for a lunch at the State Department.
