South China Sea: Hanoi and Manila increasingly united against Beijing
Hanoi ( AsiaNews) - Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng and Philippine President Benigno Aquino III are strengthening the strategic partnership and bilateral cooperation of their nations, to counter the growing "imperialism" of Beijing in the South China Sea .
The leaders of the two countries met on the sidelines of the ongoing World Economic Forum for East Asia scheduled May 21 to 22 in Manila, Philippines, focused on the theme: "Promoting Growth as Uneven Progress". The Vietnamese Prime Minister attended the opening session as a guest of honor and spoke at a round table discussion dedicated to agriculture and food security in the ASEAN (Association which brings together 10 nations of South- East Asia); He also met with other international leaders, discussing business and economic issues.
However, the real focus of these two days of meetings is the strengthening of the anti - Chinese axis between Manila and Hanoi, to stop Beijing's expansionism in the Asia-Pacific region. Yesterday, the Prime Minister of Vietnam and Philippine President addressed the issue of "illegal declarations of sovereignty" by Beijing on the seas, based on the so-called "ox tongue" which comprises almost 85% of the waters of the South China Sea (Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and Indonesia).
China's aggressive attitude has recently sparked a wave of protests in Vietnam, which turned violent with assaults and riots. The violence was motivated by China's decision in early May, to build a platform for oil exploration, the Haiyang Shiyou 981 off the east coast of Vietnam, followed by the dispatch of naval ships, fighter jets and helicopters to patrol the area. A move that has exacerbated nationalism of a large portion of the Vietnamese population , which has responded with street protests that have taken a violent drift characterized by riots and assaults that have led to at least 2 deaths and 140 injured .
Also last month, Jakarta, on more than one occasion, protested against China for its having claimed the Natuna Islands, in the East Sea off the coast of Indonesia. On several occasions in the last ASEAN summit in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, Hanoi and Manila denounced China's aggressive tactics. Geoff Dyer, an expert on international politics for the Financial Times, said that " But when the more China boosts unruly actions to invasive waters and islands of other countries illegally, the more countries of the region will synergy to form a coalition. The coalition of Asian countries will be against China's intrigue of hegemony".
The strengthening of the Manila- Hanoi bond will have implications in the economic field, with the aim of strengthening the cooperation agreement signed in October 2011 and covering the period 2011-2016; the volume of business is increasing every year and in 2013 stood at around $ 2.9 billion. The collaboration will also cover the areas of education, culture, social activities, maritime safety and protection of the sovereignty of the seas.
Vietnam and the Philippines have been increasingly worried about Beijing's imperialism in the South China and East China seas. The Chinese government claims most of the sea (almost 85 per cent), includingsovereignty over the disputed Spratly and Paracel islands, in opposition to Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia. In recent months, China has used various political, economic and diplomatic means to hamper non-Chinese vessels from fishing or moving through the disputed waters. For the United States, which backs the claims of Southeast Asia nations, Beijing's so-called 'cow tongue' line is both "illegal" and "irrational". Anyone with a hegemonic sway over the region would have a strategic advantage, in terms of seabed (oil and gas) development, but also in trade since two thirds of the world's maritime trade transit through it.
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