Philippines, Vietnam sign defense cooperation agreement

MANILA, Philippines — Bilateral relations between the Philippines and Vietnam have reached “greater heights,” President Marcos said yesterday, as the two countries agreed on peaceful means to address tensions in the South China Sea.

“We have elevated the Philippines-Vietnam relations to greater heights,” Marcos wrote on Instagram following his meeting with Vietnamese Defense Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang at Malacañang.

The President made the remarks as the two countries entered into a defense cooperation agreement signed earlier yesterday by Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. and Phan at Camp Aguinaldo.

In the same post, the President also thanked Vietnam for supporting the 2016 Arbitral Award, which invalidated China’s massive claims in the South China Sea.

“We thank Vietnam for supporting the Arbitral Award. 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,” Marcos said.

The Vietnamese official’s visit came days after the China Coast Guard again disrupted a Philippine Coast Guard supply mission near Escoda Shoal by  ramming two PCG vessels. The Philippines and Vietnam are both claimants in the South China Sea.

During their meeting, Marcos described Phan’s visit as “a very significant point in the history between our two countries.”

This was Phan’s first visit to the Philippines since his appointment as defense minister on April 8, 2021.

“The Philippines and Vietnam have enjoyed good relations and we have continued to progress in those relationships, whereas before comprise only with our diplomatic connection,” Marcos said.

“We now talk about defense cooperation, security cooperation, maritime cooperation and certainly, on the area of trade as well. Your visit, I think, will serve as further impetus, further push to increase that – the depth and the range of our relationship,” the President added.

For his part, Phan emphasized the “very good interactions and exchanges” between the Philippines and Vietnam, especially the navy-to-navy discussions of the two nations.

He also conveyed the greetings and best wishes from Vietnam’s senior leaders, General Secretary and State President To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man.

“And from our side, we highly value and appreciate the State Visit to Vietnam back in January 2024 and that visit opened up new opportunities to further promote and innovate the strategic partnership between Vietnam and the Philippines in various areas that you just mentioned,” Phan said.

Teodoro said Phan’s visit to the Philippines would further enhance the ties between the two nations, specifically with the signing of the defense cooperation.

“Both ministers affirmed their commitment to a rules-based international order firmly anchored on international law and the promotion of sustainable peace, principled security and regional stability,” the DND said in a statement after Teodoro’s meeting with Phan.

“The ministers noted that as strategic competition permeates the global governance architecture, the role of bridge-builders becomes increasingly important in fostering cooperation and encouraging peace built on a complex web of interactions, rather than geopolitical spheres,” it said.

The two officials’ signing of Letters of Intent (LOIs) on the enhancement of cooperation on humanitarian and disaster response at sea and on military medicine “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 DND statement declared. - Michael Punongbayan, Ric Sapnu