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Vietnam, Philippines to forge strategic alliance in face of aggressive China
Vietnam, Philippines to forge strategic alliance in face of aggressive China
10/2/15
Since the end of
the Cold War, relations between the two countries have warmed significantly. Vietnam is sometimes referred to as the only
communist military ally of the Philippines.
The Philippines and Vietnam have territorial disputes over the Spratly
Islands, among with Brunei, China, Malaysia, and Taiwan. The Philippines
and Vietnam both disapprove
of China's nine-dash map
which China uses as
justification of its claim in the South China Sea.
Both countries were also committed to a multilateral diplomatic approach to the
resolution of disputes in the South China Sea
with the UNCLOS
taken to account.
The Philippines
and Vietnam have been the
most outspoken countries in the region in criticising China's efforts to claim virtually all of the South China Sea, which contains major sea lanes and
fishing grounds and is believed to hold vast mineral resources. Brunei, Malaysia
and Taiwan
also have conflicting claims to the waters. The Philippines
and Vietnam have in recent
years accused China
of increasingly flexing its military muscle in the region. This has included
the deployment of a Chinese oil rig to the north of the Spratlys which raised
tensions with Vietnam
last year.
Vietnam has formally supported the Philippines
in its arbitration case against China regarding China's nine-dash
claim over the South China Sea. The
Vietnamese government’s decision to support the legal case initiated by the Philippines to contest China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea is a sign of the growing geo-political
tensions. Relatively low-key maritime disputes, which have festered for
decades, have become dangerous potential flashpoints as the US has encouraged countries like Vietnam and the Philippines
to challenge China.
Hanoi submitted its legal brief to the Arbitral Tribunal at
The Hague on
December 11th in 2014. As part of the Philippines case filed on
March 30th, 2014, Vietnam is requesting the court rule that Manila’s
maritime claims are part of its continental shelf and within its 370 kilometre
exclusive economic zone. Such a decision would cut across the basis of China’s claims in the South
China Sea which depend in part on “historical rights.” The
Vietnamese position paper offered support for the Philippines case, rejected
China’s “nine dash” map that sets out its maritime claims and requested that
the arbitration panel take into consideration Vietnam’s interests in the South
China Sea, which Hanoi refers to as the East Sea.
The Philippine
Foreign Ministry immediately expressed its delight at the unexpected change in Vietnam’s
stance, declaring it was “helpful in promoting the rule of law and … peace and
stability in our region.”
The Philippines and Vietnam
are natural allies in their common struggle against China’s
drive for hegemony in East Asia. Already
partners in ASEAN, the two are likely to be driven closer together by Beijing’s increasingly brazen displays of power as it
enforces its claim to some 80 percent of the South China
Sea. The Philippines
and Vietnam share convergent
views and concerns over Chinese assertiveness in the South
China Sea. This has led to intense diplomatic interaction and some
coordination in multilateral institutions, including the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The recent meeting between Philippine President Benigno Aquino
and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung saw "productive
discussions" over establishing a bilateral strategic partnership, marking
a critical step towards deepening economic and political cooperation between
the two countries. Finally, they have decided to move from semi-passive
neighborly relations to institutionalized strategic cooperation, especially in
the realm of maritime security and regional stability. China's recent decision to unilaterally dispatch a giant oil rig to
Vietnam's 200-nautical-miles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which led to a nail
biting showdown between Vietnamese and Chinese naval forces and massive
anti-China protests in Hanoi, has changed the complexion of regional diplomatic
calculations. Even the ASEAN couldn't hide its panic in the recently-concluded summit in Myanmar. So Vietnam has decided to move closer to the Philippines' position, with Hanoi
now also threatening to file a similar legal complaint against China.
In light of the intensifying
territorial disputes in the South China Sea, Vietnam
and Philippines
seem to become perfect partners and alliance. As influential members of the
ASEAN, the two countries have been concerned with the lack of a unified
regional response to China's
growing assertiveness in the Western Pacific. Despite a decade-long agreement
on developing a robust maritime conflict-prevention mechanism, the ASEAN has
yet to finalize a legally-binding Code of Conduct (CoC) with China. So greater diplomatic coordination and strategic engagement
between the two countries has become indispensable to establishing greater
synergy within the ASEAN. The two countries can no longer afford to simply
chart their own independent paths, since maximum coordination has become a strategic
imperative.
Together, the two countries also hope
to bring other claimant states such as Malaysia on board. So far, Malaysia has agreed to participate in trilateral
dialogues with Vietnam and
the Philippines to forge a
common approach to the South China Sea
disputes. The ASEAN's informal leader, Indonesia,
has also moved closer to Vietnam
and the Philippines.
In recent months, Jakarta has openly criticized China's notorious "nine-dash-line"
doctrine as a quasi-legalistic claim with no basis in international law, while finalizing a new border agreement with Manila, ending two decades of territorial
squabbles.
The budding
cooperation between Vietnam
and the Philippines is the
latest development stemming from China’s aggressive territorial
claims in the region. The Philippines
and Vietnam have managed to
become odd bedfellows in the diplomatic mêlée to keep China out of the South China
Sea. If their gambit has a positive effect, others may want to
follow suit. Moreover, deepening partnership between the two countries has
paved the way for the emergence of a "security diamond" of like-minded states
in the Western Pacific, especially as Japan,
Australia, and India step up
their counter-measures against rising Chinese maritime assertiveness in the
Pacific waters.
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All comments [ 10 ]
The Philippines and Vietnam, two of the most vocal critics of China's attempts to claim almost all of the South China Sea.
It is important because we share common concerns in this region especially when it comes to the South China Sea issue.
The Philippines and Vietnam are natural allies in their common struggle against China’s drive for hegemony in East Asia.
A review of defense interaction reveals that over the last five years, progress has been spotty though gradual, but prospects for an alliance still remain over the horizon.
The Philippines and Vietnam reached a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Defense Cooperation on October 26, 2010.
Remember, the two countries have not yet held practical military exercises that would enhance interoperability.
The two countries agreed to form a commission to outline a strategic partnership. A hopeful alliance.
The Philippines only has two strategic partners so far – the United States and Japan, both of which also remain challenged by China.
Experts say strategic partnerships remain vaguely defined, but agree these involve shared objectives to promote regional security, among other things.
The ultimate aim is not to contain China, which has become the pivot of economic prosperity in Asia, but to constrain the sharp edges of China's inexorable rise in recent decades.
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