Palace: Vietnam closely following Phl case vs China

MANILA, Philippines - The Vietnamese government is looking at the progress of the arbitration case the Philippines filed against China in the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said on Thursday.

Lacierda's statement came after the arrival of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in the Philippines on Wednesday to participate in the World Economic Forum on East Asia.

"Through the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs), they're looking at how the Philippines has resorted to the diplomatic track," he said.

Lacierda added that the Philippines is also looking at mechanisms to work on a strategic partnership with Vietnam, along with coastal agreements and cooperation discussions with the Vietnamese Navy and its defense agency.

The Philippines and Vietnam are both embroiled in a territorial dispute with China over territories in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).

China recently deployed an oil rig off the coast of Vietnam and started reclamation in Mabini Reef which the Philippines claims.

Dung said China's move is illegal and threatens the stability in the disputed sea, while President Benigno Aquino III said China is violating the informal sea code with its recent move.