First-ever Vietnam-Philippines Naval drills begin amidst Chinese aggression

On August 5, a Vietnamese coast guard ship docked in Manila for a goodwill visit, aiming to bolster maritime cooperation amid rising tensions with China in the South China Sea.

This visit is a significant milestone as the Vietnamese Coast Guard gears up for its first-ever joint exercises with the Philippines. Scheduled for August 9, these drills represent a historic collaboration between the two Southeast Asian nations, both of which have claims in the South China Sea and have faced confrontations with Beijing over the contested waters.

Vietnam?s 90-meter ship, CSB 8002, was warmly welcomed at the port of Manila. Over the next five days, it will participate in training exercises with the Philippines? 83-meter offshore patrol vessel, BRP Gabriela Silang.

During their stay in Manila, coast guard forces from both countries will engage in discussions and tour each other?s ships. They will also conduct joint search and rescue drills, as well as fire and explosion contingency exercises in Manila Bay, located on the western coast of the northern Philippines facing the South China Sea.

The timing of these drills is notable, coinciding with a major political shift in Vietnam. Following the death of Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnamese President To Lam assumed the role of party leader on August 3. Officials see these exercises as vital for bolstering bilateral ties and enhancing collective security.

Rear Admiral Armand Balilo, spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard, emphasized the significance of the drills, stating, ?This is important because we?re building partnership and we?re showing the world that two countries with disputes in the West Philippine Sea can find common ground.?

The Vietnamese Coast Guard?s visit stems from a ?capacity building? agreement between the two maritime forces, established during Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.?s state visit to Hanoi in January. Commodore Algier Ricafrente, PCG deputy chief of staff for international affairs, emphasized that the joint exercises aim to prepare for potential future incidents requiring bilateral cooperation.

Additionally, Col. Hoang Quoc Dat, head of the Vietnamese Coast Guard delegation, underscored the importance of their Manila port call, describing it as a step towards strengthening the ?cooperative relationship for mutual benefit? between Vietnam and the Philippines.

Geopolitical and defence analysts have praised the recent collaboration between Manila and Hanoi, despite their overlapping claims in the South China Sea?referred to as the West Philippine Sea by the Philippines and the East Sea by Vietnam. China asserts sovereignty over the entire South China Sea, but an international tribunal, responding to a case filed by Manila in 2013, effectively dismissed these claims.

Manila has faced significant aggression from Beijing, with the most severe recent incident occurring on June 17 at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. This confrontation involved violent actions by the China Coast Guard (CCG), resulting in the amputation of a Philippine Navy personnel member?s finger. Similarly, Hanoi has experienced water cannon attacks from the CCG in past years but continues to assert its claims through aggressive island reclamation efforts on its occupied territories.

The bolstering of military ties between the Philippines and Vietnam is seen as a positive step in the face of Chinese aggression. Last month, in a separate goodwill gesture, Vietnamese and Philippine naval forces participated in volleyball, football, and tug-of-war games on Vietnam-occupied Southwest Cay in the disputed Spratly archipelago, according to officials from both nations.

In June, Vietnam expressed its readiness to engage in discussions with the Philippines to resolve their overlapping claims to the undersea continental shelf in the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, China has long asserted control over much of the seaway and remains steadfast in defending its territorial interests. Although Beijing has not commented on the joint exercises between the Philippines and Vietnam, Vietnamese maritime analyst Viet Hoang remarked that China ?won?t be pleased? by this cooperation.

He noted that ?Beijing is always wary of Hanoi?s growing ties with other regional countries, especially in the South China Sea where Vietnam and China are also in dispute.? However, last week, after Hanoi announced its first joint coast guard exercises with the Philippines, a Chinese WZ-10 UAV flew close to Vietnam?s coast with its tracker activated, according to a South China Sea research group.

This marked the first time in the group?s five years of monitoring that such an operation was made visible by Beijing. The WZ-10 aircraft took off from Hainan Island and returned after following a route approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Vietnam?s coastline to the southern city of Nha Trang. Many media outlets and internet users interpreted the drone flight as a message to Hanoi. Despite this, Hoang added that while China is unlikely to publicly protest, it may express its concerns through unofficial channels.

(eng.mizzima.com)