The Philippine Territory

MANILA - Soon after the US and China used a high-level strategic and economic dialogue in mid-July to underscore the importance both attach to their relationship, the Philippines and Vietnam made their own pitch to court great power support amid ongoing and, in certain maritime areas, intensifying territorial conflicts with China.
While Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang made a symbolic visit to the White House on July 25, an occasion where both countries agreed to move closer towards a full-fledged strategic partnership, the Philippines welcomed Japan's increasingly emboldened leader, Shinzo Abe, who has vowed to strengthen Tokyo's strategic depth in Southeast Asia.


Despite growing efforts by regional actors, namely China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to rein in brewing maritime conflicts in the South China Sea, the evolving disputes represent an intractable challenge to regional security and threaten to escalate into full-blown conflict.

China recently agreed to restart negotiations over a code of conduct (CoC) to peacefully resolve maritime disputes, but both the Philippines and Vietnam have pressured China to address the issue more expediently and within the framework of international law. At the same time, they have both welcomed a deeper US military commitment and expanded strategic ties with a resurgent Japan as their primary hedging tactic.

Sang to Washington

Sang's visit came after President Barack Obama extended an invitation to his Vietnamese counterpart in early July, reflecting Washington's desire to place Hanoi at the center of its "pivot" strategy in East Asia. The visit - only the second to Washington by a Vietnamese head of state since the normalization of ties in 1995 - was exceptional in both its tone and timing.
It also came on the heels of Sang's trip to China in late June, when the two sides signed symbolic agreements, including the establishment of a hotline to manage tensions in the South China Sea.
Read More: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/SEA-01-020813.html