Drills That Dazzle: How Philippines-Vietnam Cooperation Sends a Strong Message to China!

Together, the coast guards of the Philippines and Vietnam have concluded training exercises close to the West Philippine Sea, sending a clear but unsubtle warning to a rival nation fighting for control of the South China Sea.

The exercises took place on Friday as part of an agreement for marine cooperation arranged by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a state visit to Vietnam in January.


Both nations make claims to portions of the South China Sea, which is a geopolitical flashpoint in the area due to China's aggressive assertion of its illegal claims to practically the whole waterway. China has been known to board other nations' boats, blast them with water cannons, and purposefully collide with Filipino ships.