Maritime row issues seen on agenda of PH-Vietnam joint commission meeting in August

From InterAksyon (Jul  29): Maritime row issues seen on agenda of PH-Vietnam joint commission meeting in August

The Philippines and Vietnam, two countries that have been feuding with China over maritime territory, will convene the seventh meeting of a joint commission on bilateral cooperation next month, with the implications of Hanoi's recent joint-exploration agreement with Beijing expected to be on the agenda.

Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said Monday that Secretary Albert del Rosario and Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh are to meet on August 1 to discuss the bilateral cooperative initiative. It comes on the heels of Hanoi's and Beijing's agreement to jointly explore and share resources from disputed territories.

The Philippines and Vietnam, along with Taiwan and two other ASEAN members Brunei and Malaysia, have overlapping claims in the South China Sea with China, which claims the area in its entirety.

Among the issues to be discussed in the August meeting of Manila and Hanoi are cooperation in defense and security, maritime and ocean cooperation, trade and investments, and agriculture.

Hernandez told reporters “the meeting will also review the implementation of the Philippines-Vietnam Action Plan, a framework document which lists the initiatives to be implemented by both countries for the period of 2011 to 2016.”

It is the seventh meeting of the Philippine-Vietnam Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation. The last round was hosted by Vietnam in 2011.

The Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation is a regular consultation mechanism between the foreign ministries of the two countries to discuss bilateral and regional issues of mutual concern.

Both Manila and Hanoi have criticized China’s excessive and expansive claims over the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).

The Philippines early this year invited China to bring the maritime territorial dispute before the UN Arbitral Tribunal, as provided for by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Beijing balked at the idea, insisting on bilateral means to resolve issues, but Manila pushed ahead with filing a case, which has since gone under way. Early August, both Manila and Hanoi have deadlines from the five-man panel to submit comments on the draft rules to govern proceedings at the arbitral tribunal.

Vietnam took a different tack. It recently decided to forge an agreement with China to explore and share resources of the disputed territories.

Both countries even set up a hotline that will protect their fishermen from harassment as tensions rise in the Asian seas.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/67456/maritime-row-issues-seen-on-agenda-of-ph-vietnam-joint-commission-meeting-in-august