Vietnam and the Philippines agreed on Tuesday (January 30) to boost cooperation among their coast guards and to prevent untoward incidents in the West Philippine Sea, in an announcement during a state visit to Hanoi by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Marcos received a welcoming ceremony before attending meetings with Vietnam’s President Vo Van Thuong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh separately.

The two Southeast Asian countries have competing claims over some parts of the West Philippine Sea, a conduit for 3 trillion of annual ship-borne trade that China claims almost in its entirety.

The two memoranda of understanding on security covered /”incident prevention in the South China Sea/” and /”maritime cooperation/” among coastguards, according to a Vietnamese official who announced the deals during a formal ceremony in the country’s presidential palace.

The agreements in Hanoi, details of which were not disclosed, could risk angering Beijing, especially if they paved the way for future compromises on disputed claims. China tends to view progress in the resolution of border disputes among other claimants with skepticism. —Report from Reuters

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