US-China Relations Updates

When Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Vietnam, it was reportedly surprised to see that only Vietnam’s national flag was displayed during the meeting with the Vietnamese government, without the US national flag being present. This is highly unusual for a country hosting a foreign government visit.

After my research, there are two sides of opinions regarding this insidence:

1. According to a Reuters report, April 13 – Hours ahead of a visit to Hanoi by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the United States on Thursday condemned Vietnam’s jailing of a prominent political activist and said ties could only reach their full potential if the country improved its human rights record. A Hanoi court on Wednesday sentenced Nguyen Lan Thang to six years in prison for conducting anti-state activities, his lawyer said, a case that has raised international concerns over communist-ruled Vietnam’s treatment of dissidents. (some people refer to the “flag” matter as related to this matter, implying that the Vietnam govt did this on purpose to “humiliate” the US)

By the way, when Reuters report this news, they use this below photo:

and The Guardian was using below photo:

I assume the western media used photo techniques to avoid “embarrassed” comments or questions.

2. Some people said it’s normal situation for Vietnam govt with no rational explanation. please see following pictures when Vietnam leaders meet with some Asian leaders:

If anyone have Vietnam friend, please ask him/her who is correct!