海角大神

The United States has partially lifted a 40-year ban on lethal weapons to Vietnam, a move that comes at a tense time in the South China Sea.

The easing of the ban applies only聽to maritime equipment. But the decision reflects growing concern in Washington over China鈥檚 rising assertiveness in the region as Beijing pushes its claims to resource-rich territorial waters and islands that other countries claim as well.聽

The move was announced Thursday as Secretary of State John Kerry met with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in Washington.聽Vietnam has long called on the US to lift the embargo.

The new policy is , and would allow the country to receive armed boats and surveillance planes from the US, The New York Times reports. 聽

It comes in the wake of one a heated exchange in May, when Beijing placed an oil rig near the Paracel Islands, an area in the South China Sea claimed by both Vietnam and China. The move 聽that targeted Chinese and Taiwanese-owned factories.

海角大神鈥檚 Beijing correspondent Peter Ford concluded that Beijing's聽tactics could backfire:

If Beijing鈥檚 abrasive attitude pushes its neighbors to seek help from Washington, some analysts here are warning, it will mean only trouble for China.

Instead of ending up as the naturally dominant power surrounded by economically dependent smaller neighbors, China would find itself strategically isolated in the region and facing off directly with the US.聽

US officials , Al Jazeera reports. They insisted there were no specific sales outlined yet, and said such sales would be decided on a case-by-case basis.聽

The State Department said the decision to lift the ban, which was established after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, comes amid warming ties and modest improvements in Vietnam鈥檚 human rights record.

But human rights organizations were quick to object. John Sifton, spokesman for Human Rights Watch, said that 鈥淰ietnam鈥檚 record on political prisoners is ","聽according to the Associated Press. Amnesty International said the country detains scores of people for exercising their right to freedom of expression.

While US officials warned that further easing of the ban would require additional progress on human rights, they said the policy shift was primarily driven by national security interests, the AP reports.

The State Department characterized Thursday鈥檚 move as part of a broader effort to help countries in the region boost their maritime security.

The U.S. says it has a national interest in peace and stability, and the diplomatic resolution of territorial disputes in the South China Sea, a major conduit for world trade.

About 40 percent of the world鈥檚 trade passes through the sea. Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, China, and the Philippines all claim regions of it.