Philippines, Vietnam working on enhanced cooperation

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines and Vietnam are pursuing a comprehensive enhancement of bilateral relations and regional issues, including the South China Sea.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on Wednesday after the conduct of the 8th Philippines-Vietnam Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) held in the capital city of Hanoi.  

They discussed the major results of the JCBC, including the finalization of the Philippines-Vietnam strategic partnership to be signed by the foreign ministers of both countries on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Manila next month.

The JCBC is an important mechanism between the Philippines and Vietnam to discuss bilateral and regional issues, as well as plan for joint projects to enhance Philippines-Vietnam cooperation in areas such as political, economic, security, defense, agriculture and maritime cooperation.