Philippines and Vietnam to sign defense agreement opposing China’s agressions in the South China Sea

The Philippines and Vietnam will sign a defense cooperation agreement on Friday, August 30, the office of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, a significant step by two countries that have long opposed China’s actions in the South China Sea.

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Vietnam’s decision to enter into the agreement comes at a time when […] the Philippines and China are sparring almost every week over the South China Sea, a row that has raged for more than a year.

China claims sovereignty over almost all of the strategic waterway.

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Coast guards of the two countries earlier this month held their first-ever joint exercises in Manila, simulating fire-fighting drills and search-and-rescue exercises.

That came after Marcos visited Hanoi in January and signed deals that covered “incident prevention in the South China Sea” and “maritime cooperation”.