A recent interaction spotlighted an often-overlooked confidence-building mechanism between the two Southeast Asian states.
On November 10, Vietnam and the Philippines conducted the fourth iteration of their naval personnel interactions on Northeast Cay in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The exchange spotlighted an ongoing intra-ASEAN confidence-building activity underway among the two sides in the disputed waters even amid the continued uncertainties in the broader bilateral relationship.
As I have noted before in these pages, until the inauguration of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in June 2016, Vietnam and the Philippines had been significantly strengthening their maritime collaboration as well as their broader relationship for several reasons, including China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea. Both sides had set up a range of mechanisms, including hotlines and working groups, to facilitate confidence-building, and they also elevated ties to the level of a strategic partnership in 2015.
One of the outcomes of the growing strategic convergence between the two sides in the maritime realm was a 2012 protocol for bilateral naval exchanges on Southwest Cay, currently occupied by Vietnam, and Northeast Cay, occupied by the Philippines. At the time, the interaction between the two countries was hailed as an example of intra-ASEAN confidence building in the South China Sea at a time of heightened tensions.
