Readout of National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice’s Meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh of Vietnam

National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice met today with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh of Vietnam at the White House.  Ambassador Rice and Deputy Prime Minister Minh reiterated their strong commitment to realizing the full potential of the 2013 U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership by deepening economic, diplomatic, defense and people-to-people ties.

Ambassador Rice and Deputy Prime Minister Minh discussed ways to enhance cooperation on several shared interests including maritime security, peacekeeping, nonproliferation and the Trans Pacific Partnership.  In discussing recent tensions in the South China Sea, Ambassador Rice underscored the U.S. opposition to the use of coercion and the need to resolve maritime disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law, including the Convention on the Law of the Sea and related legal mechanisms.  Ambassador Rice stressed the importance of continued progress on human rights.