The U.S. has become the country’s biggest customer, helped by manufacturers moving away from China. Now, its ballooning trade surplus is putting it in President Trump’s sights.

Vietnam will buy more American goods, including defence and security products, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said in a statement issued late on Monday, as the country seeks to delay a 46% U.S. tariff rate on its exports.

The tariffs will hack at the root of Vietnam’s export-oriented economic model. In recent years its economy has benefited from manufacturers diversifying away from China, growing by an average of 7% a year over the past decade (excluding the pandemic).