SINGAPORE (AP) — Vietnam's leader said Friday that the Strait of Hormuz has shown how one flashpoint can throw the rest of the world into turmoil, suggesting that the U.S. and China need to abide by international law to avoid provoking a global crisis as they vie for influence in the Asia-Pacific region.
WATCH: Xi hosts Putin in Beijing, cementing China-Russia alliance after Trump's visit
Vietnamese leader To Lam was delivering the keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier defense summit, to an audience that included U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a high-level delegation from China. Lam suggested that Iran's stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz during the war in the Middle East has demonstrated how regional conflicts can have worldwide ramifications.
"Recent tensions along strategic maritime routes in the Middle East remind us that a single flashpoint can rapidly disrupt trade, energy supplies, logistics and social economic life across the globe," the Vietnamese leader said.
Vietnam navigates a delicate superpower balance
