By Zhou Fangyin

January 22, 2015

"The new round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations begins on Monday. When Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung shook hands with US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius on January 7, Osius told him that the White House would be more flexible so that talks could be wrapped up in March for approval by Congress in May.

The marathon negotiations, which started more than five years ago, seem to have entered the last phase as the US makes some compromises. Hanoi hopes this economic treaty will boost Vietnam's economic growth, and most importantly, relieve itself from long-term reliance on imports from China. What's more, growing tensions in the South China Sea have been pushing Vietnam to seek a patron to counterbalance China's influence. The US is its best option."

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