After departing the G20, Biden traveled to Hanoi for talks with Vietnam’s president and prime minister. Biden insisted his visit was not aimed at countering China’s influence in Southeast Asia.

President Joe Biden: “That’s what this trip is all about, having India cooperate much more with the United States, be closer to the United States, Vietnam being closer with the United States. It’s not about containing China. It’s about having a stable base, a stable base in the Indo-Pacific.”

Beijing responded to Biden’s visit by asking the U.S. to “abandon hegemony and a Cold War mentality.”

Biden’s trip to Hanoi came as jailed Vietnamese climate activist Hoang Thi Minh Hong marked 100 days since her arrest on what supporters say are trumped-up charges of tax evasion. She’s at least the fifth environmentalist to face such charges in Vietnam in recent years.