Philippines, Vietnam Upgrade to Enhanced Strategic Partnership

The Philippines and Vietnam elevated their relations to an Enhanced Strategic Partnership on Monday, reaffirming that peace and stability in the South China Sea are non-negotiable.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made the announcement during a joint press appearance with Vietnamese leader To Lam at Malacanang Palace on Monday. Lam was on a two-day state visit.

The upgrade coincides with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries this year and marks more than a decade since they first established a strategic partnership, which began in 2015. 

Marcos said the new partnership would feature wider cooperation, stronger political and defense links, and closer connections between the Filipino and Vietnamese people. Both sides signed agreements on defense, information technology, tourism, and education during the visit.

The two leaders stressed shared interests in a rules-based regional order. According to the official joint statement, they emphasized “maintaining peace, stability, maritime security, safety, and freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea” and peaceful resolution of disputes in line with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Marcos told the joint press conference, “As fellow claimant states, we reaffirm that maintaining peace, stability and the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea remains non-negotiable.”

He added that both countries remain committed to the 2016 South China Sea arbitral award.

To Lam described the Philippines as an “important regional partner of Vietnam” and said his country wanted to take the relationship “to a new high.” He noted the two sides agreed to closer coordination to respond to regional and global challenges.

Vietnam is the Philippines’ only strategic partner within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a political and economic union of 10 member states. The countries have overlapping claims in parts of the South China Sea but have pursued practical cooperation.

In 2024, their coast guards held their first joint exercises, focusing on search and rescue, firefighting, and medical response in waters off the Philippines.

The latest move builds on a history of gradually deepening ties. The two nations established diplomatic relations in 1976. Cooperation expanded in the 2000s on trade and maritime issues, leading to the 2015 strategic partnership. Vietnam has long been the Philippines’ top supplier of rice, supporting food security.

Monday’s agreements included a renewal of their 2010 defense cooperation pact and new deals on digital transformation, tourism for 2026-2029, and academic links between the University of the Philippines and Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics.

In the joint statement, the leaders said the enhanced partnership aims to deliver “practical successes for the benefit of the two countries and the wider region.” They also pledged stronger economic ties and continued support for ASEAN unity, especially as the Philippines prepares to chair the bloc in 2026.

The development comes amid ongoing tensions in the South China Sea involving multiple claimants, including China. Both Manila and Hanoi have repeatedly called for adherence to international law in handling disputes.

Officials from both governments described the upgrade as a step toward greater stability in Southeast Asia without targeting any third country. 

The joint statement noted plans for an action program to implement the new partnership.

Reuters has contributed to this report.