US lifts arms embargo on Vietnam

President Barack Obama has announced that the US is fully lifting its embargo on sales of lethal weapons to Vietnam. 

Speaking during a visit to Vietnam and holding talks with its leaders, President Obama said the move will remove a lingering vestige of the Cold War. 

The US is trying to bolster its relationship with its Pacific allies, as China asserts territorial claims. 

But Mr Obama said the embargo is not related to US policy on China. 

Vietnam is one of many countries in the region involved in maritime disputes with China. 

The US insists on the right to freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. 

White House officials have indicated that the arms ban, in force since 1984, would be lifted only if human rights in Vietnam improved. 

Mr Obama's visit comes 41 years after the end of the Vietnam War in which the US sought to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam.  


SOURCE: BBC news