MANILA: The Philippines and Vietnam will agree to boost coast guard cooperation during a trip to Hanoi next week by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., officials said, a move that risks angering Beijing.
The two Southeast Asian nations have competing claims over swathes of the South China Sea, an important waterway for fishing and international trade that China claims almost in its entirety.
The two nations will ink a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between their coast guard forces, the Philippine coast guard said on Thursday, according to media reports.
It is unclear what the deal will entail, but coast guard cooperation is imperative to reducing the risk of clashes between fishing ships that encroach into foreign waters — a measure that could help ease bilateral territorial disputes.
After Vietnam and Indonesia recognized the boundaries of their respective Exclusive Economic Zones in the sea in December 2022, China’s coast guard repeatedly sailed close to those strategic areas triggering angry reactions from both Hanoi and Jakarta.
Marcos’ visit to Vietnam
Marcos will meet Vietnamese leaders on a two-day trip starting on Monday, Vietnam’s foreign ministry spokeswoman said on Thursday, stating the nations had close relations in multiple fields including defense and security.
In November, Marcos said the Philippines had approached Vietnam and other neighboring countries to discuss a separate code of conduct for the sea, another move that would irk Beijing which has been promoting a broader regional deal for years without success.
The two nations are also likely to boost their cooperation on rice supplies, according to a Philippine official, with the M being already the largest market for the exports from Vietnam.
