Academic exchange with US foreign policy experts.

Jeffrey M. Warner's presentation focused on the role of Southeast Asia in U.S. foreign policy, in the context of President-elect Donald Trump's official inauguration. Brett Blackshaw acknowledged that since Donald Trump took office, there have been many predictions that the new president would pay more attention to domestic issues and reduce U.S. influence abroad.

However, the fundamental basis of US foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific region in general and Southeast Asia, including Vietnam in particular, remains unchanged. The United States still desires to be a good partner of ASEAN, to promote good relations between China and its neighbors, to support the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea, and to contribute to strengthening cooperation mechanisms within and outside ASEAN, such as the ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting, and the East Asia Summit. Jeffrey M. Warner expressed hope for new steps taken by the Donald Trump administration in the near future, especially regarding bilateral relations between Vietnam and the US.

Brett Blackshaw's presentation received comments and questions from faculty and staff of the Department of International Studies on issues such as: the implications of the Donald Trump administration's decision to withdraw from the TPP for US-Southeast Asia trade, the US response if a "power vacuum" emerges in Southeast Asia that China could exploit, the impact of the new US foreign policy on ASEAN's centrality in the region, the US role in the process of establishing the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC), and the prospects for bilateral Vietnam-US relations…

Ms. Le Le Na (Faculty of International Studies - University of Social Sciences and Humanities) poses a question to Mr. Jeffrey M. Warner

Associate Professor Tran Viet Nghia and the university staff took a commemorative photo with Mr. Jeffrey M. Warner.

Jeffrey M. Warner has been a State Officer at the U.S. Department of State since July 2011. He holds a Master's degree in Public Policy and Southeast Asia from the School of Foreign Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California San Diego. He previously served as Second Secretary for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon, Myanmar, and as a Consular Officer in Shanghai, China. His areas of expertise include policy analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and intercultural management.