By Tyler Roney
Vietnam and the Philippines are growing closer together over Beijing’s claims and provocations.
“To beef up military alliances targeted at a third party is not conducive to maintaining common security in the region,” Xi Jingping said at Shanghai’s CICA, a veiled reference to military alliances forming to stop China’s expansion in the South China Sea. But Vietnam and the Philippines were not listening; Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung stated in Manila on Wednesday that both his country and the Philippines “are determined to oppose China’s violations,” with a view to strengthening diplomatic and defense ties to keep China at bay.
With other diplomatic endeavors falling flat and China’s seemingly perpetual stranglehold over the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Vietnam and the Philippines have few options left in curbing China’s expansion. However, considering China’s constant spats with many of its neighbors and endless claims to territory, this could be a novel way to combat China’s expansion.
Xi may have been riding a wave of resentment from the violent clashes in Vietnam last week (sparked by China drilling in contested waters) that led to the exodus of 3,000 Chinese nationals. But Vietnam and the Philippines appear unmoved by Beijing’s condemnations and threats and are growing closer over Beijing’s claims and provocations. Carl Thayer, from the Australian Defense Force Academy, told Reuters that this strategic partnership is altogether new: “It’s unprecedented for Vietnam to join a U.S. ally and appeal directly for international support.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat