Vietnam and the Philippines have agreed to cooperate on maritime security in the South China Sea, whose majority part is contested by Beijing and the world is well aware of the global tussle currently underway in that region. The historic security accord was signed by the two neighbours during the recent visit of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to Honoi, which paved the way for joint patrol, teamwork, and collective incident management in the disputed waters.
The South China Sea is at the centre of territorial tussles between the People’s Republic of China, and multiple neighbouring states including Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Brunei, and others. China claims almost the entire sea as its sovereign territory, while the Philippines, Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian nations claim various islands, islets, reefs, and shoals around their coasts. An estimated $5 trillion in international trade passes through those waters each year.
In the modern era, the South China Sea and adjoining territorial waters are the most dangerous and highly contested region in the world. Tension remained high during the past several months, as multiple border clashes and bullying incidents occurred wherein, the Philippines Navy was harassed by the Chinese Coast Guards. The Philippines Navy avoided a direct clash with its powerful neighbour until it achieved credible security guarantees from its Western allies and forged trustable partnerships with its neighbourhood.
The prudent Ferdinand conceived the idea of allying with anti-China nations before challenging the resolute enemy. Henceforth, the Philippines and Vietnam have combined their potential and read to thwart any ill-motivated move by the Chinese Navy in the coming months and afterwards. Presently, the involvement of Western powers and a string of global partnerships and alliances has transformed regional hostility into a potential global nuclear flash point. Pre-clash activities, such as fleet marches of aircraft careers and flypasts of fighter jets often conducted by the opposing powers to show off their military might, lathel arsenals, and war preparedness. The West smartly uses its cards and gradually squeezes space for its Staunch adversary. A brawl is in the making, however, leaders’ legacy and future events would affect time, nature, and the intensity of the collision.
