Communists Make Conservative Friends

A top official of the Communist Vietnamese dictatorship spoke on Wednesday at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. The speech was entitled “Opportunities and Challenges to Peace, Security, Cooperation and Development in the Asia-Pacific and the Growth of Vietnam—U.S. Comprehensive Partnership.” It was advertised on the Heritage website with a beautiful scenic photo, apparently of Vietnam, carrying the caption, “In the midst of complex issues, Vietnam is working to find the best path forward to guarantee the prosperity and security of its people.” It sounds like heaven on earth. But Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) says, “Vietnam has one of the world’s worst human rights records with severe censorship of the Internet and press, harsh restrictions on religious and ethnic communities, and active suppression of political participation and environmental demonstrations.” Yet, he says, “…Vietnam often gets a free pass on human rights. There is little media coverage of human rights abuses and diplomats are so focused on the fact that Vietnam is ‘not China’ that this oppressive police state is granted trade and security benefits without conditions.”

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