Vietnam Coast Guard ship arrived in the Philippines on Monday, August 5th, for the first joint maritime law enforcement training in the South China Sea. Experts believe that both countries have identified the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as a real threat, with the Philippines facing longstanding provocations from China and making significant moves to cooperate with Western military. Additionally, Vietnam’s new leadership has rapidly improved relations with the West.
The Vietnamese Coast Guard Ship CSB 8002, belonging to the Second Zone Command, docked at the port of Manila on August 5th for a five-day friendly visit and joint training exercise.
According to Reuters, Philippine Coast Guard officials mentioned that on Friday, the ship would conduct training exercises with the Philippine’s 83-meter offshore patrol vessel BRP Gabriela Silang, focusing on search and rescue as well as firefighting and explosion prevention.
Amado Balilo, spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard, stated, “Despite the competition, (the Philippines and Vietnam) are claimants in the West Philippine Sea, indicating that we can work together. We hope this will set a template, even with China, to ease tensions.”
Before departing for the Philippines for the visit on Wednesday, July 31st, Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defense described the visit as having “significant political significance.”
Hanoi stated that the 2400-ton Vietnamese Coast Guard Ship was heading to the Philippines to participate in the joint training for the first time. “Promoting comprehensive cooperation and improving maritime law enforcement capabilities… to contribute to maintaining peace, stability, and security in the relevant sea areas and the region.”
In January this year, Filipino President visited Hanoi, signing two agreements to strengthen cooperation between the coast guards of both countries and prevent unpleasant incidents in the South China Sea.
Regarding the first joint maritime law enforcement exercise between the two countries, a senior researcher at the Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Security Strategy mentioned that the Philippines and Vietnam identify the CCP as the real threat.
“Although Vietnam maintains surface-level relations with the CCP, the underlying hostility is clearly directed towards China, at least visibly uniting with the Philippines to balance Beijing’s pressure.”
“Sending a navy ship to the Philippines is actually fulfilling some security cooperation agreements between the two countries. It was when President Duterte and the Vietnamese President signed the security cooperation agreement last January. Both sides will enhance mutual trust related to setting hotlines and hotspots.” He stated, “Then in August, the Philippines and Vietnam held a joint naval exercise, reflecting security cooperation between Manila and Hanoi.”
Asked if the cooperation between Vietnam and the Philippines would deter China, he said, “Definitely. Like Vietnam and the Philippines respectively or informally sending political signals to Beijing, it’s of course an indirect deterrent.”
“The cooperation between the Philippines and Vietnam would certainly bring a balanced deterrent to Beijing, although Beijing may still take unilateral expansionist actions, the resistance it faces may increase.”
Over the past decade, the Chinese Communist Party has employed a “grey zone” approach towards neighboring countries, utilizing non-military, non-violent, and irregular conflicts, gradually undermining the existing stability in the South China Sea, increasing tensions. Neighboring countries have begun to unite against this tactic.
A former dean of the Political Warfare College at the National Defense University of Taiwan, General Yu Zongji said, “First of all, I believe that the most effective way for countries along the first island chain to deal with the so-called grey zone tactics of the CCP is to strengthen joint patrol cooperation between coast guards.”
“Because from the perspective of each country, their individual number of vessels cannot compete with China. So the only way to counter the CCP’s strategy of grey areas and incursions below the threshold of war, is to use so-called militias, fishing vessels, or coast guard ships, band together all the countries along the first island chain to respond.”
General Yu mentioned that the Philippines recently conducted joint patrols with the United States and completed similar cooperation with Japan. Since the Philippines and Japan have signed mutual access agreements, they have just completed joint patrols at sea.
On Sunday, August 4th, the defense ministers of Germany and the Philippines reached an agreement to expedite the drafting of a defense agreement to promote cooperation including joint military training, German arms sales, security information sharing, etc.; a joint statement also reiterated the commitment to continue upholding the freedom of navigation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
General Yu mentioned that Vietnam’s participation in the Philippines’ call for joint coastal patrols signifies an implicit understanding between the Philippines and Vietnam, “That is to say, in addition to cooperation in coast guard operations, they also take a united front in legal and international law aspects.”
General Yu also mentioned that Taiwan recently cooperated with Japan in coast patrols, and the United States has also signed agreements with Taiwan. “That is to say, in the face of intensifying maritime harassment by the CCP, everyone uses a common cooperation memorandum for coast guard and adopts a united front to respond and counteract.”
Tensions between the Philippines and China have escalated continuously, with a violent clash between the two countries’ coast guards in June. According to footage released by the Philippine military, Chinese coast guards used sharp tools to damage Philippine vessels. The Philippine military also stated that a sailor lost a finger and suffered serious injuries during the clash.
The Philippines has intensified its military cooperation with democratic countries. Last Friday, August 2nd, the Armed Forces of the Philippines stated that the Philippines and Japan conducted their first joint military exercise in the South China Sea, with the aim of enhancing regional and international cooperation, working towards achieving freedom and openness in the Indo-Pacific region.
On Wednesday, July 31st, the US military and Philippine Navy held joint training exercises in the South China Sea. The Philippine announcement stated that the goal of the two navies was to enhance joint operational capabilities to ensure maritime safety and stability.
In April this year, the US military deployed medium-range missile systems during joint military exercises with the Philippines on Luzon Island, capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles. The range can cover the southeastern coastal areas of China and sensitive regions of the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. This was the first time the system appeared along the first island chain. On Saturday, August 3rd, Nikkei reported that Beijing was very anxious about it.
In mid-July, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs revealed an agreement with Beijing regarding the grounding of vessels on Ren’ai Reef. General Yu considered that both parties signed a memorandum of cooperation to temporarily prevent an escalation of conflicts.
At the same time, the Philippines is strengthening its military cooperation agreements with various countries, continuously enhancing its military capabilities. Last week, the Philippines bought the latest fighter jets from South Korea and participated for the first time in the Pitch Black 20 multinational military exercise in Australia.
On Monday, August 5th, a South China Sea research organization informed Reuters that a Chinese unmanned military aircraft flew near the Vietnamese coast last week with its transponder on, the first such move in five years according to the organization’s monitoring.
According to a flight track chart shared by Reuters, the WZ-10 aircraft took off from Hainan Island last Friday, tracking a route approximately 100 kilometers off the Vietnamese coastline to the southern city of Nha Trang.
Vietnam has been continuously improving its relations with Western countries. General Yu believes that Vietnam seeks to work with the Philippines and even with the United States, Japan, and other countries to counter China’s increasing provocations.
On Saturday, August 3rd, Vietnamese President To Lam was officially appointed as the General Secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party, succeeding the deceased Nguyen Phu Trong. Nguyen Phu Trong was known for his diplomatic strategy of “bamboo diplomacy.” Over the past year, leaders of the United States, China, and Russia visited Vietnam in quick succession. Last September, Vietnam hosted US President Biden, in December hosted CCP leader Xi Jinping, and this June hosted Russian President Putin.
General Yu stated, Vietnam and China share territorial borders and have even fought border wars. However, Vietnam is a communist regime and does not want to directly provoke Beijing but is also on guard against the CCP.
The joint patrol cooperation between Vietnam and the Philippines, “So we can see that Vietnam’s current cooperation with the Philippines is clearly directed towards Beijing.”
Regarding Vietnam’s new leadership, General Su Zi Yun believes, “It should lean more towards the West and be anti-Communist.” As the Communist Party Secretary of Vietnam, To Lam currently has control over the party, government, and military. “To Lam has a background in the intelligence system, that is, the public security system, but he clearly leans towards Deng Xiaoping’s reform and opening-up ideology rather than Xi Jinping’s extreme left.”
Su Zi Yun stated, “Vietnam relies heavily on maritime shipping routes; important sea routes are certainly related to maritime lifeline security for Vietnam.” “This is intolerable for Vietnam. Therefore, in terms of ideology and security cooperation, it will tend to lean towards the US.”
“At the same time, the US is actively trying to bring countries together, including possibly selling F-16s to Vietnam. In this situation, I think the Philippines and Vietnam will become another clamp, with Japan and South Korea in Northeast Asia, and the Philippines and Vietnam in Southeast Asia, becoming a clamp on both ends, strengthening the defense of this first island chain.”