Vietnam's defense minister traveled to China last week to meet with the vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission, and the two countries signed a series of bilateral economic agreements later in the week. In an email interview, Brantly Womack, a professor of politics at the University of Virginia and author of "China and Vietnam: The Politics of Asymmetry," discussed China-Vietnam relations.
WPR: What is the current state of China-Vietnam relations?
Brantly Womack: In the past 50 years China and Vietnam have been both bosom buddies and implacable enemies, which would suggest that the relationship is unstable. But China has learned that it cannot force Vietnam to do its bidding, and Vietnam has learned that it must live with China. As a result, the current relationship is, in fact, basically stable.