Blinken aims to strengthen US-Vietnam relations amidst delicate situation.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Vietnam to upgrade relations with a key trade partner that shares US concerns about China's growing power. Vietnam faces a delicate balancing act of showing openness to the US without angering China, a giant neighbor that supplies key inputs for Vietnam's vital export trade, or Russia, another traditional partner. The US hopes to boost relations to a "strategic" partnership, which could include increased military cooperation and US weapons supplies, but Vietnam has concerns about the high price of US arms and human rights issues.