Manila and Hanoi began their first-ever joint maritime exercises on August 5, a day after top Philippine and German officials pledged to expand their decades-old defense cooperation agreement.
The 2,400-ton Vietnamese Coast Guard (VCG) vessel CSB 8002 and its crew of more than 80 arrived in Manila on Monday for a four-day visit that the Vietnamese Ministry of Defense said had a “profound political significance.”
The port call was part of the agreement both countries in Hanoi in January 2024 to hold joint maritime training, establishing a joint coast guard committee and a hotline communication mechanism. Both nations declared that the historic cooperation activities were meant to “promote comprehensive cooperation (and) improve law enforcement ability at sea.”
During the visit, the two countries are expected to hold joint search and rescue training along with fire and explosion prevention drills.
Continental shelf claims
In June, the Philippines filed with the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf a claim on the extent of its continental shelf in the South China Sea, including the controversial Spratly archipelago, which is wholly or partly claimed by both countries, China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
Former Vietnamese beauty queen Pham Thu Hang, who is now the spokesperson of Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in June that coastal states have the right to have their continental shelf boundaries recognized under the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS).
UNCLOS is the 1982 multilateral treaty that defines legal guidelines and procedures involving coastal states and their territorial waters.
But, she said, there is a need to respect the rights and interests of other nations at interest and Hanoi was ready to discuss with Manila the continental shelf claim that overlaps with that of Vietnam.
The following month, Hanoi also submitted its own claim on its continental shelf and Manila also said it was ready to discuss any conflicting claims with Hanoi.
In diplomatic positions taken by both the Philippines and Vietnam reject China’s expansive claim to the South China Sea and underline the need for multilateralism in Southeast Asia.
Just before the VCG port call, the Philippine just concluded multifaceted joint maritime maneuvers with the United States and Japan.
Pistorius visits Manila
On August 4, Manila welcomed German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius who visited on account of the 70th anniversary of Philippines-Germany diplomatic relations. The talks between Pistorius and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. focused on expanding the two countries’ defense cooperation arrangement, which dates back to 1974.
From the 1974 military training agreement, Teodoro and Pistorius agreed to broaden the countries’ defense cooperation arrangement to include armaments cooperation and other joint projects. Both officials also emphasized the importance of “principled and sustainable peace that is firmly anchored on international law.”
Both Pistorius and Teodoro strongly opposed any unilateral attempt to advance expansive claims, especially through force or coercion, according to their joint statement.
The officials also affirmed their commitment to freedom of navigation, overflight, and other peaceful uses of the seas consistent with UNCLOS and reaffirmed that the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea is final and legally binding. They were referring to the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration which rejected China’s claim of historic rights in the South China Sea as having no basis in law.
The decision upheld the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction including areas within its exclusive economic zone. China, however, refuses to acknowledge the ruling and pursues a “multipolar” foreign policy aligned with Russia, Iran and North Korea.
Teodoro expressed Manila’s appreciation of Berlin’s steadfast support for international law and reiterated the call for peace in Ukraine.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (left) poses with Philippine Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr during the bilateral meeting in Manila on August 4. Photo credit: Gibo Teodoro Jr./FB page.
Multilateral partnership
The Philippines also welcomed Germany’s application to participate as an observer in the Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus Experts’ Working Groups of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Pistorius and Teodoro stressed in their joint statement the importance of upholding the unity and centrality of ASEAN as a “uniquely inclusive vehicle that fosters strategic trust and mutual understanding.”
The joint statement also highlighted “the importance of defense industrial resilience and reaffirmed their shared commitment to contributing to the implementation of the ‘Statement of Principles for Indo-Pacific Defense Industrial Base Collaboration’ of like-minded European and Indo-Pacific partners”.
Photo credit: PTV. Vietnam Coast Guard’s CSB 8002 arrives at Manila Pier 15 for four-day joint exercises with the Philippine Coast Guard, to enhance cooperation between the two forces.
