Defence officials from your Philippines and Vietnam will come across this week for more information on possible joint exercises and navy patrols, military sources said, shoring up a fresh alliance between states kept in maritime rows with China.
Ties have strengthened between two Southeast Asian countries as China's assertiveness intensifies which has a rapid buildup of man-made islands inside Spratly archipelago, which Vietnam as well as the Philippines lay claim.
Both states may also be on the receiving end of the renewed charm offensive through the United States, that's holding joint military exercises inside Philippines to become attended recently by U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter.
Vietnam plus the Philippines would discuss patrols and exercises, but a deal soon was unlikely, a senior military official told Reuters.
"These are initial discussions," he stated. "These could take time but we want to move to a higher level."
The official spoke on condition of anonymity when he was not authorised to communicate with the media. The information was confirmed by another defence ministry source in Manila.
Naval patrols relating to the Philippines and United States were proposed by Manila in January. They could happen inside a year, an overseas ministry official said. "The two sides are nevertheless talking about this," a state told Reuters.
The exploratory talks between Vietnam plus the Philippines come as ships in the United States and Japan, which includes its own maritime wrangles with China, have visiting ships currently docked at Subic Bay from the Philippines, which hosted Washington's main naval base through the Vietnam War.
CHANGING DYNAMIC
The regional dynamic has shifted substantially ever since then, while using United States now engaging Vietnam's military having eased a lethal arms embargo in 2014. Japan can also be working closely in defence complications with Manila and Hanoi, and a couple of of its guided-missile destroyers are on a rare holiday to Vietnam's strategic base at Cam Ranh Bay.
Vietnam and also the Philippines agreed with a strategic partnership in November to improve security relations as China expands its presence from the strategic waterway and deploys military equipment inside the Spratly and Paracel islands.
Their closer ties mark a bold step up a region where China's economic influence renders some countries not wanting to take a joint stand against its maritime maneuvering.
Joint exercises could well be one from the biggest steps taken with the two countries' militaries since signing a defence agreement six years back.
The meeting between Vietnam's vice defence minister, Nguyen Chi Vinh, and Honorio Azcueta, the Philippine undersecretary of defense, is scheduled for Thursday and provides a court in The Hague nears a determination in an arbitration case lodged by Manila.
The ruling within the case, which seeks to clarify parts of the United Nations maritime law, could dent China's claim they 90 percent with the South China Sea, aspects of which Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei also claim.
The South China Sea will figure inside talks between two countries, as will bilateral exchanges, information-sharing, military logistics and defence technology, the sources said.
Vinh would tour Philippine bases, including a major naval facility. Vietnam's state media has never reported the visit.
Two Vietnamese frigates made port calls to Manila in 2014 as well as a Philippine warship may perform the same in Vietnam this June. Troops from both parties have played sports together twice since 2014 on disputed islands they occupy.
On Monday, Philippine Foreign Minister Jose Rene Almendras was the initial foreign dignitary to satisfy Vietnam's new prime minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
Ties have strengthened between two Southeast Asian countries as China's assertiveness intensifies which has a rapid buildup of man-made islands inside Spratly archipelago, which Vietnam as well as the Philippines lay claim.
Both states may also be on the receiving end of the renewed charm offensive through the United States, that's holding joint military exercises inside Philippines to become attended recently by U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter.
Vietnam plus the Philippines would discuss patrols and exercises, but a deal soon was unlikely, a senior military official told Reuters.
"These are initial discussions," he stated. "These could take time but we want to move to a higher level."
The official spoke on condition of anonymity when he was not authorised to communicate with the media. The information was confirmed by another defence ministry source in Manila.
Naval patrols relating to the Philippines and United States were proposed by Manila in January. They could happen inside a year, an overseas ministry official said. "The two sides are nevertheless talking about this," a state told Reuters.
The exploratory talks between Vietnam plus the Philippines come as ships in the United States and Japan, which includes its own maritime wrangles with China, have visiting ships currently docked at Subic Bay from the Philippines, which hosted Washington's main naval base through the Vietnam War.
CHANGING DYNAMIC
The regional dynamic has shifted substantially ever since then, while using United States now engaging Vietnam's military having eased a lethal arms embargo in 2014. Japan can also be working closely in defence complications with Manila and Hanoi, and a couple of of its guided-missile destroyers are on a rare holiday to Vietnam's strategic base at Cam Ranh Bay.
Vietnam and also the Philippines agreed with a strategic partnership in November to improve security relations as China expands its presence from the strategic waterway and deploys military equipment inside the Spratly and Paracel islands.
Their closer ties mark a bold step up a region where China's economic influence renders some countries not wanting to take a joint stand against its maritime maneuvering.
Joint exercises could well be one from the biggest steps taken with the two countries' militaries since signing a defence agreement six years back.
The meeting between Vietnam's vice defence minister, Nguyen Chi Vinh, and Honorio Azcueta, the Philippine undersecretary of defense, is scheduled for Thursday and provides a court in The Hague nears a determination in an arbitration case lodged by Manila.
The ruling within the case, which seeks to clarify parts of the United Nations maritime law, could dent China's claim they 90 percent with the South China Sea, aspects of which Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei also claim.
The South China Sea will figure inside talks between two countries, as will bilateral exchanges, information-sharing, military logistics and defence technology, the sources said.
Vinh would tour Philippine bases, including a major naval facility. Vietnam's state media has never reported the visit.
Two Vietnamese frigates made port calls to Manila in 2014 as well as a Philippine warship may perform the same in Vietnam this June. Troops from both parties have played sports together twice since 2014 on disputed islands they occupy.
On Monday, Philippine Foreign Minister Jose Rene Almendras was the initial foreign dignitary to satisfy Vietnam's new prime minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
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