In a speech to military leaders from the region, To Lam said that distrust and a lack of respect for established rules had created a culture of “the big fish swallowing the small fish.”
Vietnam’s leader, To Lam, in Singapore, giving the keynote address on Friday to an annual Asian security conference. While careful not to criticize the United States or China directly, Mr. Lam acknowledged that a series of threats is making it harder for his country and the region to prosper.
Asian nations worry that the president might trade security commitments for better economic terms with China during his planned meeting with Xi Jinping this week.