Australia will upgrade diplomatic ties with Vietnam this week as Canberra looks to expand its influence in the region and set up a network of security agreements to hedge against a more assertive China.
The strategic partnership will be signed when Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visits Canberra later this week, strengthening defence and trade ties. The visit follows Labor leader Bill Shorten's recent comments calling out Vietnam, China and India as countries which may see Australia as a "soft touch" and seek to dump cheap steel into the local market.
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Lisa Murray is deputy editor of AFR Magazine and host of The Fin podcast. Connect with Lisa on Twitter. Email Lisa at lmurray@afr.com
Laura Tingle is The Australian Financial Review's former political editor. She is now chief political correspondent for the ABC's 7.30 program. Connect with Laura on Facebook and Twitter.
Angus Grigg is an investigative reporter based in Sydney. He has worked as a foreign correpondent in China and Indonesia, and has won two Walkley Awards. Connect with Angus on Twitter. Email Angus at agrigg@afr.com
