Manuel Mogato, Reuters

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2016/sports2/04/13/041316_vietnam.jpg"/></figure></div><div><strong>* Meeting comes as arbitration ruling nears</strong></div><div><strong>* U.S. defense secretary to visit Manila this week</strong></div><div><strong>* No decision on joint patrols imminent</strong></div>MANILA - Defense officials from the Philippines and Vietnam will meet this week to explore possible joint exercises and navy patrols, military sources said, shoring up a new alliance between states locked in maritime rows with China.<p>Ties have strengthened between the two Southeast Asian countries as China&#x27;s assertiveness intensifies with a rapid buildup of man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago, to which Vietnam and the Philippines lay claim.</p><p>Both states are also on the receiving end of a renewed charm offensive by the United States, which is holding joint military exercises in the Philippines to be attended this week by U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter.</p><p>Vietnam and the Philippines would discuss patrols and exercises, but a deal this week was unlikely, a senior military official told Reuters.</p><p>&quot;These are initial discussions,&quot; he said. &quot;These may take time but we would like to move to the next level.&quot;</p><p>The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. The information was confirmed by another defense ministry source in Manila.</p><p>Naval patrols between the Philippines and United States were proposed by Manila in January. They could happen within a year, a foreign ministry official said.</p><p>&quot;The two sides are still talking about this,&quot; the official told Reuters.</p><p>Vietnam and the Philippines agreed on a strategic partnership in November to boost security relations as China expands its presence in the strategic waterway and deploys military equipment in the Spratly and Paracel islands.</p><p>Their closer ties mark a bold step in a region where China&#x27;s economic influence has made some countries reluctant to take a joint stand against its maritime maneuvering.</p><p>The meeting between Vietnam&#x27;s vice defense minister, Nguyen Chi Vinh, and Honorio Azcueta, the Philippine undersecretary of defense, is scheduled for Thursday and comes as a court in The Hague nears a decision in an arbitration case lodged by Manila.</p><p>The ruling in the case, which seeks to clarify parts of a United Nations maritime law, could dent China&#x27;s claim to 90 percent of the South China Sea, parts of which Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei also claim.</p><p>The South China Sea will figure in the talks between the two countries, as will bilateral exchanges, information-sharing, military logistics and defense technology, the sources said.</p><p>Vinh would tour Philippine bases, including a major naval facility. Vietnam&#x27;s state media has not reported the visit.</p><p>Two Vietnamese frigates made port calls to Manila in 2014 and a Philippine warship may do the same in Vietnam this June. Troops from both sides have played sports together twice since 2014 on disputed islands they occupy.</p><p>On Monday, Philippine Foreign Minister Jose Rene Almendras was the first foreign dignitary to meet Vietnam&#x27;s new prime minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc.</p>

MANILA - Defense officials from the Philippines and Vietnam will meet this week to explore possible joint exercises and navy patrols, military sources said, shoring up a new alliance between states locked in maritime rows with China.

PH, Vietnam to explore joint patrols in S. China Sea: sources

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PH, Vietnam to explore joint patrols in S. China Sea: sources

Manuel Mogato,

Reuters

Published Apr 13, 2016 04:59 PM PHT

Read More:

defense

south china sea

west philippine sea

spratlys

china

beijing

territory

arbitration

military

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