Hanoi Embraces Future With China to Reassure Beijing, Experts Say 

Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, sixth left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, eighth right, meet at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, Dec. 13, 2023. (Pool/AP)

Foreign policy experts are casting a skeptical eye on this week's highly publicized upgrade of relations between China and Vietnam, saying Hanoi is unlikely to shift from a carefully balanced foreign policy that includes recently strengthened ties with the U.S. and Japan.