Philippines, Vietnam Coast Guards to hold historic joint exercises amid South China Sea tensions

In a move to strengthen maritime cooperation, the coast guards of the Philippines and Vietnam will conduct their first-ever joint exercises on August 9.

As reported by Nikkei Asia, this initiative aims to counter China’s assertive actions in the South China Sea, a contentious region both nations claim parts of and have had confrontations with Beijing.

Vietnam’s 90-meter ship CSB 8002 docked in Manila on Monday, marking the start of five days of training exercises with the Philippines’ 83-meter offshore patrol vessel, BRP Gabriela Silang. The joint drills will encompass search and rescue simulations as well as fire and explosion prevention training, according to a Nikkei Asia report.

This collaboration follows an agreement between Manila and Beijing to de-escalate tensions in the South China Sea, specifically regarding Philippine resupply missions to Second Thomas Shoal.

The timing of the exercises also coincides with a change in Hanoi’s leadership after the death of Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the official succession of Vietnamese President To Lam as party leader on Saturday, as highlighted by Nikkei Asia.

Experts view these drills as crucial for enhancing bilateral relations and regional security. “This is important because we’re building partnerships and showing the world that two countries with disputes in the West Philippine Sea can collaborate,” Rear Admiral Armand Balilo, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson, told reporters. Nikkei Asia emphasized Balilo’s point that the Vietnamese Coast Guard’s visit stems from an agreement for capacity-building initiatives established during Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s state visit to Hanoi in January.

“This is good because it’s like a template that despite being rival claimants, we can engage in exercises and people-to-people exchanges,” Balilo remarked in an interview with Nikkei Asia.

Commodore Algier Ricafrente, PCG deputy chief of staff for international affairs, underlined the strategic importance of these joint exercises. “Should the need arise for our nations to join forces and address future incidents, these drills are crucial,” he stated to reporters.

China’s recent regulation allowing its coast guard to detain foreign nationals crossing maritime lines set by Beijing adds urgency to these drills, which will take place in Manila Bay, facing the South China Sea. Nikkei Asia noted that this new regulation has intensified regional maritime disputes.

Julio Amador, CEO of Amador Research Services in Manila, explained to Nikkei Asia that the prospect of joint exercises between claimant countries is feasible only with “good faith,” as both nations seek cooperation while maintaining their maritime claims. Amador suggested expanding this cooperation to include other ASEAN claimant states in the South China Sea.

Don McLain Gill, an analyst and lecturer at De La Salle University in Manila, described these exercises as “important developments” for bilateral relations. He told Nikkei Asia that enhancing mutual trust and communication between the Philippines and Vietnam “would make it harder for China to interfere.”

Gill also proposed that Philippine and Vietnamese embassies should work together when needed, similar to the cooperation seen between US Embassies and others in the Philippines. “A unified position from Southeast Asian countries is essential for a significant pushback against Beijing’s expansionism,” he asserted in an interview with Nikkei Asia.