Former Green Party Leader Alexander Van der Bellen Narrowly Defeats Far-Right Opponent Norbert Hofer in Austrian Presidential Election; U.S. Lifts Arms Embargo on Vietnam
KINKADE: The U.S. president is dismissing suggestions he's trying to counter China's influence by lifting an arms embargo on Vietnam. In a joint news conference with his Vietnamese counterpart, Barack Obama said the move is part of a deeper cooperation on defense. The ban on weapons sales to Hanoi has been in place for decades, part of the fallout from the Vietnam war. Well, whatever Mr. Obama's intentions are, lifting the arms embargo is likely to raise serious concerns in Beijing. Relations between China and Vietnam have worsened as territorial disputes in the South China Sea drag on. In the meantime, people who depend on those waters for their very survival are paying the price. Our Saima Mohsin reports.</s>SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Like his father before him, Le Tan makes his living from the sea. He's fished theirs waters for 31years, but lately, his job's become a lot more dangerous.</s>LE TAN, VIETNAMESE FISHERMAN (through translator): First they took our fish, then the essential equipment. If they liked it, they took it. If they didn't, they threw it away.</s>MOHSIN: Tan describe a day when Chinese men boarded his boat, stole his equipment and threatened him and his sons. This happened last year, but he says his boat has been targeted four or five times over the past decade.</s>TAN (through translator): once they tased my son, three times in his spine.</s>MOHSIN: Tan says he is being targeted because he fishes in the Paracels, the chain of islands claimed by Vietnam, China and Taiwan. Vietnamese authorities say hundreds of fishermen from Le area, a small island off the east coast of Vietnam, report being intimidated, beaten or robbed by men on Chinese flagged boats within the Paracels. Yet, despite the danger, the local government says it's encouraging men to keep fishing these waters calling them defenders of Vietnamese territory. The Chinese foreign ministry says it has no knowledge about Vietnamese fishermen being beaten or chased away and the Paracel Islands are its sovereign territory along with most of the South China Sea. China is building man-made islands, laying down air strips, deploying surface-to-air missiles in defiance of competing claims by other regional players. And the U.S. has weighed in to the fight challenging China by running freedom of navigation operations in the region and calling for an end to the militarization of the area. Washington's message seems to have done little to sway local opinion.</s>PHAM THI HUONG, VICE CHAIR, LY SON DISTRICT PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE (through translator): Concerning America's idea of a peaceful solution between Vietnam and China, even with this peaceful solution, the right to Vietnam to these islands are undeniable.</s>MOHSIN: CNN wasn't allowed to speak to the fishermen without a government minder present, but Vietnamese officials are keen to show them off as victims of China's aggression.</s>TAN (through translator): We protect our country for the next generation.</s>MOHSIN: It's an elevated calling for the fishermen of a remote island nightly song (ph). In its ongoing dispute with China, Vietnam is mustering defenders wherever it can find them. Saima Mohsin, CNN.</s>KINKADE: Well, Turkey has become the latest contentious issue in the debate over the UK's future in the European Union. Campaigners of Briton's exit from the EU, or Brexit as it's known, have published this poster suggesting Turkey is joining the EU and its influx of Turkish migrants would potentially be going to the UK. Well, our Phil Black is following the story and joins us now live from London. Phil, the camp voting to leave the EU seem to be playing on xenophobic fears by bringing up Turkey.</s>PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is the criticism, Lynda, no doubt. But the Leave campaign says it is reasonable to campaign on this point because it is Britain's stated policy to support Turkey's ascension to the European Union. And so it says when that happens, well, a big influx of Turkish migrants will follow. That will put stress on public services, notably the health system as well. So that's what they're pushing for here. Now, But they've gone further than that, and they've even said that this is a risk because they say Turkey has a higher birthrate than the United Kingdom and it's also talked about the security threat posed by Turkey's alleged higher rate of crime and higher rate of registered gun ownership, that's where they've really gotten controversial and has been branded really quite broadly as divisive, desperate Trump-like, yes, even racist. Now, the British Prime Minister David Cameron who is campaigning for Britain to stay in the European Union, he says that it is not reasonable, not accurate to suggest that Turkey will become a member of the European Union imminently, let alone at all. The ascension talks have been going on since 2005. And this is the detail that the Leave Camp doesn't go into. Going on since 2005, little progress has been made, and indeed it is a point a that all members of the European Union, including the UK, get a veto when it comes to new members, that includes France and Germany who have always been against the idea of Turkey joining the European Union. And then there's also the issue with Cyprus. Turkey doesn't even recognize the government of Cyprus and European Union member there. So, all of this would need to be overcome. That's obviously not going to happen quickly. So, what all of this shows is that the Leave campaign is doubling down on an issue that it feels is one of its strongest among its supporters and that is the issue of immigration and concerns about Britain being able to decide who comes and goes and who stays here in the future.</s>KINKADE: And Phil, just quickly, speaking of the Prime Minister David Cameron, he continues to face stiff opposition for his position even within his own party.</s>BLACK: And this Turkish question is another example of that, Lynda. You're right. So, you've the prime minister campaigning to stay, many senior members of his own party and government leading the campaign to leave. And when it comes to Turkey, the Leave campaign has released a video that says David Cameron can't be trusted on Turkey. Now this isn't just members of the same party disagreeing on the issues, in this video they are calling into question the integrity of the prime minister, which is a few significant steps further than that. And that's really the other big question here at the moment, after Britain makes its decision in June about whether to stay or leave the European Union, the next big issue will be whether or not the ruling Conservative Party can come together and heal the many wounds that have been inflicted sover the course of this increasingly bitter and divisive campaign -- Lynda.</s>KINKADE: Certainly is divisive. Phil Black for us live from London, Thank you very much. Well, immigration has also played a big role in Austria's presidential election. The independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen has narrowly beaten his far right rival Norbert Hofer. It was a very close race. Hofer was boosted by growing anxiety in Austria about the influx of migrants and refugees. Well, we're joined now by Zeke Turner, our correspondent for The Wall Street Journal who joins us now via Skype from the Austrian capital of Vienna. Great to have you with us. Hofer has marginally lost this election, but it has been a victory of sorts for his party. As he pointed out, 11 years ago they only 3 percent of the votes. Today they've got almost every second Austrian voting for them.</s>ZEKE TURNER, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Yeah. You're exactly right. That's what Hofer said last night at his election after party in Vienna. It's been an amazing ascendance for yeah, the Freedom Party, which is a party sort of right of Austria's ruling government right now and definitely sort of right -- far right parties, nationalist parties across Europe are watching his rise and taking great sort of optimism for that.</s>KINKADE: Do you think his movement is linked to the Brexit fever and the fear stemming from the migrant crisis?</s>TURNER: Definitely the migrant crisis. I wouldn't say from Brexit. I think it sounds nice to connect the two in London, but perhaps yeah sure you can make in broad strokes across Europe we have nationalist sentiment, sights on the refugee question certainly in that light, the British referendum and the Austria presidential election are together on that front. And yes, I mean you're exactly right, Hofer is someone who has favored a cap on migrants entering the country and tighter border security so this absolutely became a race about that question.</s>KINKADE: What sort of president do you think the former Green leader, Alexander Van der Bellen, will make?</s>TURNER: That's a great question. My very personal opinion is that he is presidential, he's an academic. The president of Austria should be a moral compass. He should do state visits. Van der Bellen is perfect for that. He's an economist. He's been a speaker for the Green Party. He's someone who measures his words as far as I can tell listening to him yesterday. After he cast his ballot in the second district of Vienna yesterday he asked the press corps for a moment of silence because there had been a shooting in Austria the night before at a concert. And that's just -- I mean, for me those are characteristics that will show he's fit for the job. I mean the thing is, it's not someone who is really involved in the day-to- day running of the government, so I think he will be presidential in that respect.</s>KINKADE: That's right. It is quite a ceremonial role. Nonetheless, Zeke Turner from The Washington Post great to have you -- sorry from The Wall Street Journal, great to have you with us. Thank you.</s>TURNER: Yeah, thanks, Lynda.</s>KINKADE: we're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back. Stay with us.