Analysts link strengthening Vietnam’s China Sea claims to Putin visit
Voice of America
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Vietnam's President To Lam pose for photos at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, June 20, 2024.
Analysts cite an effort to strengthen Vietnam’s South China Sea territorial claims as a key reason Hanoi welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month, despite potential fallout from links to Moscow in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Tsenguun Saruulsaikhan, then a candidate vying for a position in Mongolia's parliament, speaks at a party headquarters in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, June 27, 2024. A Mongolian woman consults a fortuneteller divining fortunes with stones on a street across from Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on June 27, 2024.
An Iranian voter displays her ink-stained finger after casting her ballot at a polling station in Tehran on July 5, 2024. Iran's runoff presidential election pits reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian against ultraconservative Saeed Jalili. Iranian presidential candidate and ultraconservative former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, center, casts his ballot at a polling station in Tehran on July 5, 2024. Iranian presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian waves at the crowd during the runoff presidential election in Tehran on July 5, 2024. (West Asia News Agency via Reuters)