PH keen to expand defense ties with Vietnam – Marcos

RELATIONS OFF TO ‘GREATER HEIGHTS’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomes Vietnam National Defense Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang during the latter’s courtesy call in Malacañang on Friday. —PPA POOL

The Philippines is looking at increasing its defense, security and maritime collaboration with Vietnam, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Friday during a visit by Vietnam’s Defense Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang.

Despite their own bilateral disputes, a stronger collaboration on maritime security between the Philippines and Vietnam would be a signal move by the two countries to China over its increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea.

Phan held talks with Mr. Marcos for about 30 minutes in Malacañang ahead of a meeting with his counterpart Gilberto Teodoro Jr. at the Department of National Defense (DND) where the two defense chiefs signed letters of intent (LOIs) on enhanced cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster response, and on military medicine.

Increased depth, range

“We now talk about defense cooperation, security cooperation, maritime cooperation and certainly in the area of trade as well. Your visit will serve as a further impetus to increase the depth and range of our relationship,” the President said in brief remarks after meeting Phan.

After the meeting, Mr. Marcos took to Facebook and Instagram to declare that the government had “elevated the Philippines-Vietnam relations to greater heights” as a result of Phan’s visit and the inking of the two LOIs.

The President also thanked Vietnam for supporting the 2016 arbitral award that junked China’s nine-dash-line claim to the South China Sea, where Vietnam and the Philippines also have overlapping claims.

“Together, we remain committed to peaceful resolutions, de-escalating tensions and ensuring that the rule of law and a rules-based international order prevail in our region,” the President said.

Navy-to-navy talks

For his part, Phan noted that Vietnam had “good interactions and discussions” with the Philippines, especially “navy-to-navy discussions in the northeast bay of the Philippines and southwest bay of Vietnam.”

“This is a very good symbol of the very good relationship between Vietnam and the Philippines in order to handle all the issues in the sea,” he said, speaking through an interpreter.

Phan said he valued and appreciated the President’s keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore earlier this year, where Mr. Marcos said the Philippines’ claim to the West Philippine Sea had legal basis and was not a “figment of imagination.”

He said that Mr. Marcos’ state visit to Vietnam in January “opened up new opportunities to further promote and innovate the strategic partnership” of the two nations in defense, security, trade and maritime concerns.

“We believe that as a responsible member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), the Philippines will further play a very active and dynamic role to contribute more to the Asean Community,” Phan added.

LOI on medicine

A statement by the DND following the defense ministers’ meeting said the LOI on humanitarian assistance “reflects the intention of the Philippines and Vietnam to strengthen the work to mitigate the impact of natural disasters and other increasingly complex security challenges at sea, and emphasizes the major role of navies in this regard.”

The LOI on military medicine “acknowledges the role of militaries in cross-border public health surveillance and prevention of disease outbreaks,” it said.

Teodoro and Phan agreed to resolve all maritime disputes in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea “by peaceful means,” including the crafting of a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea in accordance with international law.

They also agreed to explore more in-depth collaboration in maritime security, cybersecurity, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, military medicine, peacekeeping operations and defense.

Balancing act

Phan’s visit to Manila comes at a time of simmering tension in the South China Sea and international concern about the possibility of an escalation, as China takes more aggressive and dangerous maneuvers to block Philippine ships which it says are intruding into its waters and shoals.

China has deployed an increasing number of coast guard and maritime militia vessels and navy ships in the West Philippine Sea, waters within the country’s 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.

China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea, has accused the Philippines of provocations and repeated trespassing. It has rejected a 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling invalidating its claims for lacking legal basis.

READ: Philippines, Vietnam to sign defense pact before end of 2024

Vietnam has a tricky balancing act of opposing actions by China that it deems infringements on its sovereignty, while needing to maintain close relations with a giant neighbor and major trade partner, forged over decades by their ruling Communist Parties.

It was Phan’s first visit to the Philippines since he was appointed as minister of national defense in 2021. His visit also follows a joint search and rescue exercise between the Philippine Coast Guard and the Vietnam Coast Guard earlier this month.

Ties forged under Marcos Sr.

It was the President’s father, dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who established diplomatic ties between Manila and Hanoi on July 12, 1976, making the Philippines the fourth Southeast Asian nation to do so after the end of the Vietnam War a year earlier.

The two countries continue to have strong trade relations, with a total trade amounting to $6.18 billion in 2022. Exports between the two countries were valued at $1.72 billion, while imports amounted to $4.46 billion. —WITH REPORTS INQUIRER RESEARCH