Strategic Hedging and Asymmetric Dependence: Analysing China’s Absence From Vietnam’s Revised Pdp8 Nuclear Cooperation

In April 2025, the Vietnamese government approved its ‘Revised Power Development Plan 8’, which formalised a return to nuclear energy as part of a national strategy to achieve energy security and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. It is noticeable, however, that although Vietnam has publicly discussed participation in its nuclear energy plans with several countries, including France, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States, China has not been invited to contribute to Vietnam’s nuclear plans even though it is a neighbouring country and has been seeking to export its nuclear power technology. This article examines this absence. By applying the concepts of strategic hedging and asymmetric dependence, the study analyses whether this absence indicates specific limits to interdependence within the nuclear sector. Drawing on policy documents and bilateral agreements, the research examines to what extent Vietnam’s partnership selection responds to a strategy aimed at mitigating strategic vulnerability in sensitive technological domains.