PCG, Vietnam to join forces for marine ties

The Philippine and Vietnamese Coast Guard together will join forces for the first time on a joint training exercise that will commence on August 9 at Manila Bay. 

This aims to boost maritime cooperation and commitment between both countries, which have had several encounters with the Chinese coast guard in the South China Sea.

In an interview on August 5, PCG Spokesperson Armando Balilo highlighted the importance of collaboration between countries despite maritime territorial disputes.

“This is very important as we are building a partnership, and we want to show that it is possible for two countries to work together despite both having problems in the West Philippine Sea,” Balilo stated in Filipino.

He pointed out the potential to build stronger international relationships through these exercises.

“It is possible to come up with a template where we can build a stronger relationship and maybe we could apply it as well with other countries who have the same claims as ours,” he reiterated in Filipino.

This collaboration makes Vietnam the third country which the Philippines has conducted joint-training military exercises since the start of Marcos’ term in 2022. 

Training exercises with the United States and Japan have been ongoing since 2023, demonstrating solidarity against territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea.