2026年2月19日、アン・ルンの専用機がニューヨークに着陸した。国営メディアはきっと「越米関係の新たな高み」を大忙しで持ち上げるだろう。まるで握手写真が数枚あれば、経済が自動的に“格上げ”されるかのように。だが観察者の目には、これは債務者がトランプという債権者のもとへ書類一式を抱えて押しかける旅に映る——「差し押さえは待ってくれ、生命維持装置のチューブを抜かないでくれ」と懇願しに来た、というわけだ。 というのも、ワシントンはすでに「チャイナ+1」のベトナム版——大規模な原産地洗浄工場——の急所を押さえている。商品はハイフォンに立ち寄って「ラベルを替え、箱詰め」するだけで、たちまち「Made in Vietnam」に変身し、米国市場へ雪崩れ込む。そして40%の関税という刃が宙づりになっているだけで、連鎖崩壊を引き起こすには十分だ。FDIは揺らぎ、受注は消え、米国頼みで生きる企業も“裏庭”の連中も、穴の空いた同じ舟に乗せられる。 トランプは慈善事業をしない。「手加減」してほしければ、ベトナム側は“原産地管理の強化”などという聞こえのいい言葉で代償を払わねばならない。要するに、書類の軍事化だ——証拠、トレーサビリティ、検証・監査。必要なのは耳ざわりのいい演説ではない。もし構造改革なしに減税だけを取ろうとするなら、ベトナムは自らの運命に“発注確定”の判を押すことになるだろう。すなわち、ワシントンの意志と北京の原材料に依存する下請け加工の「特区」としての未来だ。だからこの旅は「飛躍」ではない。息切れしている最中に、米国に——今は首を絞めないでくれ——と頼みに来たのだ。
Japan needs to help Vietnam in building military drones, sharing intelligence, especially information from observations in the East Sea (South China Sea) to help both defense and civilian goals. Those are some of the recommendations that Dr. Tran Duc Anh…
Tokyo prosecutors have charged three officials of a Japanese plastic company with bribing Vietnamese tax and customs officials to evade tax payments by the company’s branch in Vietnam. The special investigation unit of the Tokyo District Prosecutors‘ Office on May…
Vietnam has so far selected only three countries as „comprehensive strategic partners“ namely Russia, China, and India. The US has proposed three times to upgrade its relationship with Vietnam to a „strategic partner“ (lower than „comprehensive strategic partnership“) but Vietnam…
Tokyo police have just arrested a Vietnamese officer studying at the Japan National Defense Academy on suspicion of selling residence cards, Japanese media quoted the Tokyo police announcement as saying on January 21. Accordingly, the organized crime control agency of…
Vietnam and Japan November 23 signed an agreement on cyber security cooperation as the two Asian nations tighten defense ties amid concerns about China’s growing assertiveness. Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang and his Japanese counterpart, Minister Nobuo Kishi, witnessed…
Closer defense ties between Japan and Vietnam could have an impact on regional security but not to the extent of provoking China, two experts told BBC News Vietnamese. The helicopter carrier JS Kaga and the destroyer JS Murasame of the…
The role of the Quartet is increasing The Quartet plays an increasingly important role in curbing Chinese influence. The Chinese government has always viewed the Quartet as a US-led effort to contain and counter China’s global rise, and the group’s…
By early July 2021, Tokyo donated 2 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Vietnam made in Japan: the first 1 million doses were delivered on June 16 and the next 1 million doses were delivered in two batches, on July…