VOA新闻杂志2023--美国财政部长寻求与越南加强经济和安全关系

In Vietnam, US Treasury¹ Chief Seeks Stronger Economic and Security Ties

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the U.S. will seek to develop stronger economic and security ties with Vietnam.

Yellen held talks with Vietnamese officials Thursday in Hanoi. Her trip to the Southeast Asian nation came after visits to India and China. In India, Yellen attended financial ministers' meetings of the Group of 20 major industrial economies.

The U.S. Treasury Department said Yellen met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. During the talks, Yellen told the Vietnamese leader, "The U.S. considers Vietnam a key partner in advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific," U.S. officials said.

Yellen's visit came as the U.S. continues diplomacy² efforts that aim to build stronger ties with other countries in the Indo-Pacific area as China's influence grows among its neighbors.

"Vietnam is also a close economic partner, with our two-way trade reaching record highs last year and the United States serving as Vietnam's largest export market," Yellen said. "It is a priority for our administration to deepen our economic and security ties with Vietnam."

Yellen visited an electric scooter factory and briefly³ sat on a new model produced by Selex Motors, a five-year-old Vietnamese company.

Yellen said the U.S. is prepared to provide $15 billion to support renewable energy efforts in Vietnam as part of the Just Energy Transition Partnership⁴. This was a promise made by the Group of Seven economies to help Vietnam reduce its dependency on oil and gas. The countries have offered similar assistance to South Africa and Indonesia.

Speaking earlier to a group of businesswomen and economists⁵, Yellen praised growing investments in Vietnamese industries including computer chips and renewable energy.

Yellen's visit is seen as part of new U.S. efforts to balance China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific area. Earlier this year, Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Vietnam weeks after the 50th anniversary of the U.S. troop withdrawal⁶ that ended America's direct military involvement in Vietnam. Blinken promised to increase relations to new levels.

Yellen also met with the governor of Vietnam's central bank, Nguyen Thi Hong. The secretary announced new economic policy talks between the State Bank of Vietnam and the U.S. Treasury Department.

Yellen thanked Nguyen for "close cooperation" between the U.S. and the State Bank of Vietnam on looking at American concerns over Vietnam's currency policies. She added that the U.S. would remain supportive of Vietnam's growth and that close economic ties would help both the Vietnamese and American people.

Vietnam has quickly become an important center for big international manufacturers. These include operations in Vietnam for South Korea's LG and Samsung Electronics, suppliers to Apple, and automakers like Honda and Toyota.

Words in This Story

advance – v. to develop or progress

priority – n. something that is very important and that must be dealt with before other things

scooter – n. a small vehicle with two wheels fixed⁷ to the ends of a long board and a long handle

renewable – adj. any naturally occurring kind of energy, such as sunlight or wind

chip – n. a microchip: a very small part of a computer that stores information

1 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

2 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

3 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

4 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

5 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

7 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。