Philippines and Vietnam begin joint military exercises in the South China Sea

The Philippines and Vietnam have initiated their first-ever joint coast guard training exercises in the South China Sea, a region where both countries face territorial disputes with each other and with China.

On Monday, the Vietnamese coast guard patrol ship CSB 8002, carrying 80 crew members, arrived in Manila ahead of the drills scheduled to begin on Friday.

The joint exercises are designed to strengthen maritime cooperation between the two nations in the South China Sea—a region largely claimed by China, despite competing claims from the Philippines, Vietnam, and other neighboring countries.

Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, commander of the Philippine Coast Guard, greeted the Vietnamese vessel and highlighted the significance of the partnership in promoting cooperation and mutual understanding.

“This collaboration represents a significant step toward enhancing our maritime law enforcement capabilities,” Gavan stated in a press release from the Philippine Coast Guard.

Colonel Hoang Quoc Dat, vice commander of Vietnam’s Coast Guard Region 2, described the scope of the exercises, which will include various maritime security operations.

“This will improve the efficiency of information sharing and coordination in maritime law enforcement according to international law,” Col. Dat told the Philippine news outlet, the Inquirer.

Both countries are currently engaged in territorial disputes with China, which has led to confrontations and diplomatic strains. China claims sovereignty over much of the South China Sea, including areas within the exclusive economic zones of both the Philippines and Vietnam.

The strategic waterway is crucial, with estimates suggesting that at least one-fifth of global trade passes through it annually.

The joint drills will involve the Philippine offshore patrol vessel BRP Gabriela Silang and will focus on areas such as search and rescue operations, and fire and explosion prevention.

“Despite the rivalry, the Philippines and Vietnam are claimants in the West Philippine Sea. This demonstrates our ability to collaborate,” Reuters quoted Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Armando Balilo as saying.

Neither the Philippine nor Vietnamese coast guards responded immediately to written requests for comment.

The Philippines has recently pushed back against China’s assertive activities in the region, leading to several incidents this year and testing its Mutual Defense Treaty with the U.S.

In July, the Philippines and China reported reaching an understanding on Philippine supply missions to a disputed military outpost at Second Thomas Shoal, although each capital has different interpretations of the agreement.

In addition to encroachments by Chinese military vessels, Vietnam has been unsettled by China’s unilateral baseline in the Gulf of Tonkin, which borders both nations.

Derek Grossman, a security analyst at the RAND Corporation, noted the symbolic importance of the first Vietnam-Philippine coast guard drills: “Two very different ASEAN members working toward a common goal of deterring China,” he said, noting that many ASEAN members have been hesitant to take such measures.

Grossman also pointed out that the drills will “enhance operational coordination to address China’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea,” and send a message to Beijing that regional states can cooperate without U.S. involvement—countering Beijing’s narrative.

Vietnamese maritime expert Viet Hoang anticipated how the drills might be perceived in Beijing.

“China won’t be pleased with this week’s coast guard exercises,” Hoang said in an interview with Radio Free Asia. “Beijing is cautious about Hanoi’s growing ties with other regional countries, particularly in the South China Sea, where there is also a dispute between Vietnam and China.”

However, Hoang suggested that China understands Vietnam’s foreign policy and is unlikely to publicly condemn the exercises.

Vietnam and the Philippines also have overlapping claims in the South China Sea and have applied to the U.N. to extend their continental shelves beyond the currently recognized 200 nautical miles.

The Philippine foreign ministry stated that both countries will continue to seek a “mutually beneficial situation” in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.