So Vietnam Has Been Building Artificial Islands In the South China Sea...

Vietnam pulled an uno reverse on China and is building their own artificial islands in the South China Sea. But if war breaks out, whose side will Vietnam be on? Welcome to China andensored. I'm Chris Chapel. Before I begin, I want to give a word from our sponsor. Something that I think will genuinely be helpful for you. We all know that AI is reshaping the job market really fast. Nearly half of workers worldwide are afraid of losing their jobs to AI and technology, customer service, marketing, finance, even online influencers. No industry is untouched. But the real issue is that some people think their job won't get affected by AI until suddenly it hits them like a ton of bricks. So, I hope you can learn AI before that happens. And that's why I've teamed up with Outskill. They're hosting a two-day live AI mastermind workshop. It's this Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern time. 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So, at this point, most of you have probably heard about China's artificial islands in the South China Sea and how China's using them to legitimize its territorial claims and prepare for war with the US and its allies. But it turns out China is not the only country building artificial islands in the South China Sea. So is Vietnam. Vietnam has been building artificial islands at breakneck speeds, second only to China, especially in the past four years. In total, Vietnam now has about 2200 acres worth of artificial land in the South China Sea, spread across 21 artificial islands in the Spratley Island chain. For comparison, China only has seven artificial islands in the Spratleys. Of course, China has plenty more in other places, but like China's, Vietnam's artificial islands are designed to hold wararfs, airways, munition storage, and more. Potentially, even heavy weaponry, those things that look like the island is cracking like an egg. Yeah, those are trenches. So, why is Vietnam building all this? Is Vietnam worried that the US will threaten its national security in the name of democracy? again. Is this Vietnam's way of helping China, a fellow communist nation, in exchange for some sort of deal? Somehow, I don't think so. I think this has less to do with countering the US and everything to do with countering China. Communists turning on each other. How unthinkable until you think about all those times throughout history when they have and then you're like, "Ah, yeah, that checks out." The fact that China publicly denounced Vietnam's island building in the South China Sea earlier this year seems to prove my point. How dare you? Who do you think you are? Us? Folks, lots more episode to come. But first, if you like this kind of deep dive into what's really going on in China, you've got to subscribe to my premium website, chinaunensored.tv. That's where you'll see episodes and live streams we can't put on YouTube. And if you want to support China uncensored, buying a membership is the best way you can. It's just the price of a bag of coffee. Once again, that's chinaunensored.tv. Now, of course, there are those who think that Vietnam isn't trying to counter China. For example, there's this 2023 Cambridge article which says Vietnam isn't balancing China and that Vietnam does not see China as a threat to its survival, so it's not reacting as if it were. How did the article come to that conclusion? Well, it does acknowledge that China invaded Vietnam in 1979 and that the two countries have clashed over maritime disputes in the South China Sea here and there from time to time. But after looking at Vietnam and China's agreements, official Vietnamese defense efforts, and the number of highlevel meetings between officials, the Cambridge article concludes that Vietnamese leaders are okay living with China and that there's no way they'll get closer to the US. Of course, this article came out just days before the US and Vietnam announced their comprehensive strategic partnership is an irony. The Cambridge article also questions whether the US can ever get any country, not just Vietnam, to contain China with it. Never mind that we are seeing Trump rally countries to do just that, especially with rare earths and ship building agreements. Somehow I don't think it's a coincidence that one of the authors of that Cambridge article is the same author who wrote a rather stupid article published by MIT that takes at face value what Chinese communist staterun media says and ignores everything they do and then concludes China does not pose the type of military threat that the conventional wisdom claims it does. which is like saying jumping off a skyscraper doesn't pose the type of grievous bodily harm that conventional wisdom claims it does. The conclusion, the US shouldn't improve warf fighting capabilities in the Pacific or decouple from China because that risk creating problems where none exist. Somehow I don't think Pete Hegsth, US Secretary of War and real life guy who somehow looks like PS1 graphics, sees it that way because last week he met with Vietnamese leaders to discuss defense cooperation, including defense, trade, and information sharing. There's even talk about Vietnam acquiring some Loheed Martin C130 Hercules military transport planes, Loheed Martin S92 helicopters, or Boeing Chinuks. Of course, Vietnam has to be careful not to upset China by getting too cozy with the US. They're playing this like the ladies man in an 80s sitcom who's trying to go on two dates with two girls at the same time in the same location. After all, China's deeply integrated into Vietnam's economy. It's currently Vietnam's largest trading partner and foreign direct investor, which might explain why US military aid to Vietnam has historically been very limited. Nothing like USA to the Taliban. That's right. Some vets lived long enough to see America sending military vehicles to Vietnam to fight communists, but not the Vietnamese communists. Vietnam has a very delicate line to tow and they've been towing it. Vietnam does joint patrols with China and allows Chinese warships to make port calls. But Vietnam has also done a joint naval exercise in the South China Sea with China's rival India and allowed Indian naval vessels to visit. It also allowed US aircraft carrier visits in 2018, 2020, and 2023. On top of that, Vietnam has defense agreements with Japan, the Philippines, Australia, South Korea, and others. Their foreign policy sounds more like foreign polyamory. What can we conclude from all this? Well, Vietnam wants just one thing, to protect Vietnam, which really, if you get right down to it, is pretty much what all nations want. But this raises an interesting question. Whose side would Vietnam be on in a Chinese war over Taiwan? Would Vietnam be forced to fight on China's side by Chinese investment in the country? Or would it take side with the US and come to Taiwan's defense? After all, Vietnam doesn't like it when China infringes on its sovereignty. Gaining Taiwan could further embolden China to do whatever it wants with less restraint. Officially, Vietnam abides by the three nos. no military alliances, no aligning with one country against another, and no foreign military bases on Vietnamese soil. And it affirms China's one China policy by saying Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory. Chances are Vietnam would stay out of a direct conflict with China over Taiwan if at all possible. So from a distance, it looked like they're saying, "Forget about it." But that doesn't mean that Vietnam is on China's side. As of this recording, the US and Vietnam haven't come to any agreements regarding arms supplies, and we don't know how much yet about what happened at HEG's meeting with Vietnamese officials. But what we do know is that Vietnam's not stupid enough to take China's word at face value. It knows that it can't blindly trust China to follow through with its promises, much less respect its security concerns. China proved this last year by expanding its claims into Vietnamese waters in the Gulf of Tonkan, going from this to this. So, as much as Cambridge claims Vietnam is engaged in a reduced defense effort, this does not look like a Vietnam that's chill with China, this looks like a Vietnam that's preparing for war for its strategic interests through any means necessary. even if it means making secret arms deals with Russia against US sanctions. So, what do you think? What would Vietnam do in the case of a war between the US and China? Leave your comments below with that honeypot emoji. And don't get left behind when everyone else is learning how to use AI. Be one of the first 10,000 people to click below and book your slot for Outsklls AI training this weekend. I'm Chris Chapel. Thanks for watching.