Future co-operation with the US Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh believes the relationship will increasingly develop. He spoke to reporters at the on-going 29th Diplomatic Conference in Hanoi. What do you think of the defence co-operation prospect between the two countries, especially after the US lifting the ban on lethal weapons sales to Vietnam during the recent visit by US President Barack Obama to Vietnam? The two sides have made strides in security-defence co-operation with the signing of the Joint Vision Statement in 2015 and the implementation of the 2011 Memorandum of Understanding in maritime security, search and rescue, disaster response and peace-keeping. The US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said that the Joint Vision Statement in 2015 is a new development in defence collaboration, especially in maritime security. Regarding the purchase of lethal weapons from the US, Vietnam needs to consider the country's demands and the US' supply capacity. The two sides have discussed the purchase and sales of the lethal weapons, so, more specific things should be waited to be seen.   Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh    The US will have a new president in early 2017 and will this affect the way East Sea-related issues are dealt with? I think that whether the new US president belongs to the Democrat or Republican party, the US government will still pursue their pivot Asia strategy as part of their self-interest in the region. So, the US will continue its actions to contribute to maintaining peace, and security in Asia Pacific. In terms of East Sea-related issues, the US has many times reiterated their stand in supporting maritime and aviation security and freedom in the East Sea. The US has also called on other parties to resolve disputes by peaceful measures, confirming to international laws, including UNCLOS 1982 as well as implementing effectively Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and moving towards to the construction of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea. How about co-operation with a new US president? The US and Vietnam announced their comprehensive partnership in July 2013 during a US visit by former State President Truong Tan Sang. The agreement created a new framework for co-operation in various areas. I believe that the visit to the US by Party Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the visit to Vietnam by President Barack Obama created more momentums for the development of relations. The most important thing now is how to take advantage of the two-side potentials for boosting the bilateral relationship; strengthening the confidence by narrowing barriers in human right issues as well as increasing people-to-people exchanges. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump oppose the Pacific Partnership Agreement in theory, what do you think of this? In the current run for the post of the new president in the US, the two candidates have tended to pay attention more to the opinions of local voters rather than other issues to gain their support. The TPP is expected to bring many benefits to the US and this also supports their concentration on the Asia-Pacific region. We hope that when the atmosphere of the election run has become less intense, the benefits of TPP might be highlighted.  By Quang Phong, dtinews.vn