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The country has made gains in its push for the creation of a code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea (SCS) after it signed a new memorandum of understanding with Vietnam last Tuesday.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said he is pushing for the immediate implementation of the MOU on Incident Prevention and Management in the SCS, which aims to “promote cooperation and coordination between the Philippines and Vietnam.”
“I hope that through dialogue, we can maintain a peaceful, friendly, and harmonious environment in the South China Sea,” the chief executive said during his meeting with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong.
“It is imperative to the Philippines and the world that the sailings and the air traffic over the South China Sea remain free for the large amount of trade that goes through those areas,” he added.
Like-minded states
During his trip to Hawaii last November, Marcos announced the country was already engaged in negotiations with Vietnam and Malaysia for a code of conduct in the SCS.
He noted the initiative was in response to the slow completion of the COC on the SCS between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China.
Beijing opposed the initiative of the Philippines to involve other countries in settling territorial issues in the West Philippines Sea (WPS).
Marcos stressed the need for the COC amid China’s growing aggression in the SCS, which resulted in its ships firing water cannons against Philippine Coast Guard ships.
“We are committed to work in partnership with other like-minded states to ensure a rules-based international order in the Asia-Pacific region governed by international law,” Marcos said.
Stronger maritime cooperation
Aside from the MOU on incident prevention in the SCS, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) also signed an agreement on maritime cooperation.
The agreement aims to strengthen the coordination between the PCG and the VCG through development of a Joint Coast Guard Committee to discuss common issues and interests and the creation of a hotline communication mechanism.
“This MOU will provide a more extensive partnership for both countries’ Coast Guards through capacity building training, exchanges of personnel and ships for interoperability operations,” Marcos said.
The President said the country is working on another MOU Concerning the Provision of Mutual Logistic Support.
He said the initiatives will help strengthen maritime security and cooperation of both countries.
Image credits: AP/Aaron Favila
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