Vietnam’s To Lam says stronger China ties can support regional peace

Vietnam’s top leader used a major Singapore security forum to argue that stronger ties with China could support regional peace, a careful message from a country trying to deepen cooperation with Beijing without closing off Washington, Manila or its ASEAN partners.

To Lam delivered the keynote address at the 23rd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 29, framing peace as the central theme of his remarks. He warned that insecurity in one country can spill quickly into others and said a world in which “the big fish swallowing the small fish” becomes normal would be more dangerous for everyone. The message fit Hanoi’s broader effort to present itself as a steady middle power in a volatile strategic environment.

Lam said Vietnam saw no contradiction between building better relations with China and preserving its own sovereignty, including in the South China Sea, which Vietnam calls the East Sea. He also made clear that Hanoi does not pick sides, even as it values its relationship with the United States. His remarks suggested that Vietnam views U.S.-China competition as a structural fact rather than a passing phase, and that keeping channels open to both powers is now a core part of statecraft.

The Singapore appearance followed a rapid sequence of high-level diplomacy. Lam made his first overseas trip as Vietnam’s top leader to China in April, visiting Beijing from April 14 to 17. During that trip, Chinese President Xi Jinping told him that China and Vietnam should maintain “high strategic clarity” and prioritize political security. The visit produced cooperation agreements and signaled an effort by both capitals to steady ties even as rivalry between Washington and Beijing sharpened across Southeast Asia.

Lam was also scheduled to travel to the Philippines from May 31 to June 1 for talks with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on trade, security and maritime cooperation. That visit underlined how Vietnam is trying to widen its strategic room, building ties with China while also strengthening links with fellow regional states that face their own pressure in the South China Sea.

Vietnam’s January 2026 party congress elevated foreign affairs to one of the country’s core pillars for the first time, giving extra institutional weight to the balancing act Lam is now carrying out. Analysts said Vietnamese leaders must still account for strong domestic anti-China sentiment rooted in history and maritime disputes. For Hanoi, the goal is not alignment with one camp, but enough flexibility to protect sovereignty, sustain trade and investment, and keep the region from hardening into fixed blocs.