MANILA: Vietnam and the Philippines on Friday agreed to advance defense and military relations, including deeper collaboration on maritime security, in a significant step by two countries long at odds with Beijing over its actions in the South China Sea.
Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang was in Manila for talks with his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro, his first such visit, and paid a courtesy call earlier in the day on Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“The ministers expressed their unwavering commitment to deepen defense and military cooperation through continued interaction and engagements at all levels,” the Philippine defense department said in a statement.
Giang said Vietnam the defense cooperation between the two countries, which agreed to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and resolve disputes in line peacefully and in line with international law.
Their meeting comes at a time of simmering tension in the South China Sea and international concern about the possibility of an escalation, with China and US defense ally the Philippines sparring almost every week in a row that has raged for more than a year.
The Philippines and major western powers have been vexed by the conduct of the vast fleet of coast guard China has deployed throughout the South China Sea, which Manila accuses of aggression and dangerous maneuvers in blocking its vessels.
China, which claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, has accused the Philippines of provocations and repeated trespassing.
Vietnam has a tricky balancing act of opposing actions by China that it deems infringements on its sovereignty, while needing to maintain close relations with a giant neighbor and major trade partner, forged over decades by their ruling Communist Parties.
Teodoro said it was important the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN be central to ensuring peace and stability and freedom of navigation and aviation in the South China Sea. “We talked about making more concrete and effective steps of working together and with our ASEAN partners, to ensure the continuity of these desires of all ASEAN peoples through concrete cooperation and interaction, underscoring the primacy of international law,” he said.
Despite their overlapping claims in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, where Vietnam and the Philippines each occupies atolls and reefs, both countries have expressed desire to work together and tackle disputes.
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.
Philippines and Vietnam agree to deepen military and defense ties
https://arab.news/8262g
Philippines and Vietnam agree to deepen military and defense ties
- Includes deeper collaboration on maritime security, in a significant step by two countries long at odds with Beijing over its actions in the South China Sea
- Despite their overlapping claims in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, both countries have expressed desire to work together and tackle disputes
US senators visit key Ukrainian port city as they push for fresh sanctions on Russia
- The visit and the push for Congress to take up sanctions on Russia come at a crucial moment in the conflict
WASHINGTON: A delegation of US senators was returning Wednesday from a trip to Ukraine, hoping to spur action in Congress for a series of sanctions meant to economically cripple Moscow and pressure President Vladimir Putin to make key concessions in peace talks.
It was the first time US senators have visited Odesa, Ukraine’s third-most populous city and an economically crucial Black Sea port that has been particularly targeted by Russia, since the war began nearly four years ago. Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, Chris Coons, Richard Blumenthal and Sheldon Whitehouse made the trip. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis had planned to join but was unable to for personal reasons.
“One of the things we heard wherever we stopped today was that the people of Ukraine want a peace deal, but they want a peace deal that preserves their sovereignty, that recognizes the importance of the integrity of Ukraine,” Shaheen said on a phone call with reporters.
The visit and the push for Congress to take up sanctions on Russia come at a crucial moment in the conflict. Delegations for the two sides were also meeting in Switzerland for two days of US-brokered talks, but neither side appeared ready to budge on key issues like territory and future security guarantees. The sanctions, senators hoped, could prod Putin toward settling for peace, as the US has set a June deadline for settlement.
“Literally nobody believes that Russia is acting in good faith in the negotiations with our government and with the Ukrainians,” Whitehouse said. “And so pressure becomes the key.”
Still, legislation to impose tough sanctions on Russia has been on hold in Congress for months.
Senators have put forward a range of sanction measures, including one sweeping bill that would allows the Trump administration to impose tariffs and secondary sanctions on countries that purchase Russia’s oil, gas, uranium and other exports, which are crucial to financing Russia’s military. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has also advanced a series of more-targeted bills that would sanction China’s efforts to support Russia’s military, commandeer frozen Russian assets and go after what’s known as Moscow’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers being used to circumvent sanctions already in place.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has co-sponsored the Senate’s sweeping sanctions and tariff legislation, also released a statement during the Munich Security Conference this weekend saying that Senate Majority Leader John Thune had committed to bringing up the sanctions bill once it clearly has the 60 votes needed to move through the Senate.
“This legislation will be a game changer,” Graham said. “President Trump has embraced it. It is time to vote.”
Blumenthal, who co-sponsored that bill alongside Graham, also said there is bipartisan support for the legislation, which he called a “very tough sledgehammer of sanctions and tariffs,” but he also noted that “we need to work out some of the remaining details.” Democrats, and a handful of Republicans, have been opposed to President Donald Trump’s campaign to impose tariffs around the world in an effort to strike trade deals and spur more manufacturing in the US
In the House, Democrats are opposed to the tariff provisions of that bill. Instead, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, has proposed separate legislation that makes it more difficult for Trump to waive sanctions, but does away with the tariff provisions.
A separate bill, led by the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Gregory Meeks, would bolster US military support for Ukraine by $8 billion. Democrats currently need one more Republican to support an effort to force a vote on that bill.
Once they return to the US, the senators said they would detail how US businesses based in Ukraine have been attacked by Russia. The Democrats are also hoping to build pressure on Trump to send more US weapons to Ukraine. “Putin understands weapons, not words,” Blumenthal said.
Still, the lawmakers will soon return to a Washington where the Trump administration is ambivalent about its long-term commitments to securing peace in Ukraine, as well as Europe. For now, at least, they were buoyed by the conversations from their European counterparts and Republican colleagues.
“We and the Republican senators who were with us in Munich spoke with one voice about our determination to continue to support Ukraine,” Coons said.
