Philippine President Benigno Aquino and Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang signed an agreement last month to allow the two countries’ navies and coast guards to better monitor foreign incursions in the waters around the disputed Spratly Islands. In an email interview, Carlyle A. Thayer, an emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defense Force Academy, discussed Vietnam-Philippines relations.
WPR: What is the recent trajectory of Vietnam-Philippines diplomatic and trade relations?
Carlyle A. Thayer: Vietnam and the Philippines were on opposing sides during the Vietnam War. They exchanged diplomatic relations in July 1976, but political and economic ties remained minimal even after Vietnam joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1995. Two-way bilateral trade stood at only $541 million in 2000.