US President Joe Biden from Hanoi today predicted “the beginning of an era of even greater cooperation” of the US with Vietnamand even if he denied that he wished to “isolate” China, he did not miss references to the US’s great rival.

Biden went to Hanoi after the G20 summit in New Delhi with the same goal: to assert American power in Asia at the gates of China.

After his meeting with the head of the ruling communist party Nguyen Phu Trong announced the conclusion of an “extensive strategic partnership” between the two countries.

“We are deepening our cooperation in the area of ​​critical emerging technologies, including building a semiconductor supply chain,” said the White House occupant.

While US-China relations remain highly strained, the US president said during a press conference: “I don’t want to limit China”, as the Asian giant accuses him.

“The point is not to isolate China.” “We do not seek to harm China. Sincerely. Everyone has an interest in China doing well,” he said.

However, he accused Beijing of “changing some rules of the game in trade and other areas”.

Apple shares fell on the stock market after reports that Beijing has banned the use of the iPhone by workers in some government agencies and state-owned companies.

The US president referred to China’s economic “difficulties”, stating that the Chinese counterpart of Xi Jinping has “really done a lot”, for example in tackling the very high rate of youth unemployment.

At the same time, Biden said, without elaborating, that he “met” with Chinese Premier Li Chiang during the G20 summit. Xi did not attend, but the US president said he hoped to meet with him.

Tomorrow Monday, Biden will meet with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

The US partnership with Vietnam is part of the Biden administration’s push “to show our partners in the Indo-Pacific and the world that the US is a Pacific country and we are not going away,” the US president stressed.