Philippines, Vietnam sign pact on disputed South China Sea

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Amid tensions with China, the Philippines and Vietnam Tuesday signed an agreement on the disputed South China Sea.

The agreement to prevent incidents in the South China Sea was signed during the state visit to Vietnam by Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Hanoi and Manila have claims in the disputed waters of the South China Sea where China lays vast claims under its so-called nine-dash line which the Permanent Court of Arbitration, an international tribunal based in The Hague, ruled in 2016 has no legal basis under international law.

Besides the agreement on incident prevention in the disputed waters, a statement by the Filipino presidency said the two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding between the Philippines Coast Guard and the Vietnam Coast Guard on maritime cooperation.

On incident prevention and management in the South China Sea, the statement said Hanoi and Manila “agreed to enhance coordination regarding maritime issues bilaterally, within the ASEAN and with other dialogue partners, with both sides intensifying efforts to promote trust, confidence, and understanding, through dialogue and cooperative activities.”

Vietnam and the Philippines are member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN – a regional bloc.

The pact assumes significance since Manila and Beijing have in recent weeks seen escalating tensions over maritime claims.

Beijing and Hanoi also have conflicting claims in the sea, however, the two sides late last year emphasized solving the issues amicably.

Territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea involve conflicting island and maritime claims in the region by several sovereign ASEAN nations including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Taiwan also has claims in the disputed waters.

However, China and ASEAN signed the South China Sea Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in November 2002, marking the first time Beijing had accepted a multilateral agreement on the issue.

Last November, Marcos proposed a new code of conduct for stability in the disputed South China Sea.

He had sought support from nations like Vietnam and Malaysia to create a new sea code for maintaining peace in the disputed waters.