MANILA - The Philippines and Vietnam are set to sign a cooperation agreement between their coast guards as Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. boosts partnerships in the region amid lingering tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea.
Marcos, who is scheduled to make a short visit to Vietnam from Monday, will also discuss maritime issues when he meets with leaders of that nation, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Aileen Mendiola-Rau said in a briefing on Friday.
The coast guard agreement will cover marine environmental protection as well as search and rescue operations of Filipino and Vietnamese fishermen, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Armand Balilo said by phone on Thursday. "We intend to establish a coast guard hotline to facilitate better coordination," he said.
"As part of the agreement, they will discuss possible activities that they will conduct," Mendiola-Rau said on Friday of the coast guard cooperation.
The two Southeast Asian nations have overlapping claims in the South China Sea, where Beijing lays sweeping claims. Balilo said the upcoming cooperation deal between the Philippines' and Vietnam's coast guards is not aimed at China.
Marcos's trip to Vietnam comes amid continuing tensions between China and the Philippines, with their vessels facing off in the contested waters several times in recent months. It also comes weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping's own visit to Hanoi where he called on the Southeast Asian country to stop external forces from causing problems in the Asia-Pacific.
Vietnam is the Philippines’ sole strategic partner in Southeast Asia with bilateral relations that began in 1976.
Depending on the details, the agreement may help foster stability in the South China Sea, said Huong Le Thu, deputy director of the Asia Program at International Crisis Group.
"Enhancing cooperation between the two countries' coast guards, or increasing research and information exchange, for example, can contribute to transparency and countering the grey zone warfare in the disputed waters," she said.
Both countries are also working on an agreement "that will ensure continued supply of rice to the Philippines," Mendiola-Rau said. Vietnam is a major supplier of the staple grain to the Philippines, where rice inflation quickened to the fastest pace in nearly 15 years in December. Marcos will also meet business people in Vietnam in line with efforts to boost trade, she added.