The thought that there should be bilateral trade balance is ridiculous on the face of it. Vietnam and the USA _should_ have a trade imbalance.
That’s why all this talk of “forcing them to the negotiating table” is absurd.
That’s why all this talk of “forcing them to the negotiating table” is absurd.
The only world where USA has a trade balance with Vietnam is one where USA isn’t importing as much as they “should” from Vietnam.