Vietnamese and Philippine troops got together on a disputed island in the South China Sea on Sunday to play soccer and volleyball – as well as drink beer – in a display of unity that will not go unnoticed in Beijing.<\/p>\n
Philippine naval officials billed the event on the Vietnamese-held island as a chance to show the world there can be harmony in the South China Sea despite a web of overlapping claims to the potentially energy-rich waters.<\/p>\n
The gathering on Southwest Cay in the Spratly archipelago also symbolises how once-suspicious neighbours are cooperating in the face of China’s growing assertiveness in disputed waters.<\/p>\n
About 40 Philippine naval personnel sailed to the island for the day-long event, Philippine naval officials said.<\/p>\n
Coincidentally, the Philippines occupied Southwest Cay until early 1975, when troops from then South Vietnam seized it after Philippine forces sailed a couple of miles to Northeast Cay, which was under Manila’s control, for a party.<\/p>\n
The South Vietnamese were soon displaced by the communist forces of a victorious Hanoi.<\/p>\n
Besides playing soccer and volleyball, the troops held a tug-of-war competition, put on cultural shows involving singing and dancing and shared food and beer, said Philippine naval spokesman, Lieutenant-Commander Gerard Fabic.<\/p>\n
They also shared information on maritime security, natural disaster warnings and search and rescue operations.<\/p>\n
Colonel Le Xuan Thuy, a Vietnamese naval official, said the event reflected the goodwill between the two countries.<\/p>\n
He told troops from both sides that current conditions in the region were complicated by the “unruly actions of China seriously violating international laws”.<\/p>\n
The gathering underscores the growing cooperation between Hanoi and Manila – the two capitals most feeling China’s wrath over the South China Sea – even though both still claim Southwest Cay and dispute other islands. Southwest Cay is almost equidistant from Vietnam and the Philippines.<\/p>\n
“We are not only bringing down walls of mistrust and suspicion with one another but building trust and confidence towards peacefully resolving our competing claims,” said a senior Philippine naval official who declined to be identified.<\/p>\n
The Philippines would hold a similar event next year, officials said.<\/p>\n
CHINA DRIVING COUNTRIES TOGETHER<\/p>\n
The Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei each claim some of the Spratlys, while China, Taiwan and Vietnam claim the whole chain.<\/p>\n
China also claims 90 percent of the 3.5 million sq km (1.35 million sq mile) South China Sea, its reach displayed on its official maps with a so-called nine-dash line that extends deep into the maritime heart of Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n
Beijing accuses the other claimants of stirring up trouble in the region.<\/p>\n
Diplomats and experts have described the nascent partnership between Hanoi and Manila as part of a web of evolving relationships across Asia that are being driven by fear of China as well as doubts among some, especially in Japan, over the U.S. commitment to the region. [ID:nL4N0MV236]<\/p>\n
They have said there were increasing levels of trust at a working level, as countries find that China’s projection of naval power into Asia’s waters is driving them together.<\/p>\n
Most recently, Vietnam expressed interest in a legal case Manila filed at an international arbitration tribunal in late March, challenging China over its claims in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n
Indeed, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said last month his government was considering taking legal action against China following the deployment of a Chinese oil rig to waters that Hanoi also claims. Vietnamese officials have not elaborated.<\/p>\n
The Philippine and Vietnamese navies recently agreed to expand cooperation in disputed areas and a Vietnamese category_ided missile cruiser will soon visit Manila, Philippine naval officials have said.<\/p>\n
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