Philippines-Vietnam drills to set blueprint for South China Sea disputes

Two nations seek cooperation despite competing claims to waters

20240805 Philippine and Vietnam Coast Guards

Philippine Coast Guard personnel wave Vietnamese and Filipino flags to welcome the Vietnam Coast Guard ship CSB 8002 in Manila on Aug. 5. Despite Hanoi and Manila holding competing claims in the South China Sea, the joint exercises are seen as a way to strengthen maritime cooperation amid China's aggression. © AP

RAMON ROYANDOYAN, Nikkei staff writer

August 5, 2024 18:45 JST

Updated on August 5, 2024 19:24 JST

MANILA -- The coast guards of the Philippines and Vietnam will hold their first-ever joint exercises in a bid to bolster maritime cooperation in the face of China's aggression in the South China Sea.

The drills, set for Friday, will be the first of their kind between the two Southeast Asian nations, both of which claim part of the South China Sea and have confronted Beijing in separate occasions over the disputed waterway.