By Carl Thayer
Trends indicate that cooperation between the Philippines and vietnam is expanding, but is an alliance on the horizon?
Walden Bellow, a representative of Akbayan (Citizens’ Action Party) in the Philippine House of Representatives, recently wrote an opinion-editorial inForeign Policy in Focus (March 18) entitled, “A Budding Alliance: Vietnam and the Philippines Confront China.”
Bello argued that, “The Philippines and Vietnam are natural allies in their common struggle against China’s drive for hegemony in East Asia. Already partners in ASEAN, the two are likely to be driven closer together by Beijing’s increasingly brazen displays of power as it enforces its claim to some 80 percent of the South China Sea.”
The Philippines and Vietnam share convergent views and concerns over Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea. This has led to intense diplomatic interaction and some coordination in multilateral institutions, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
A review of defense interaction reveals that over the last five years, progress has been spotty though gradual, but prospects for an alliance still remain over the horizon.
Read the full story at The Diplomat