PH, Vietnam to hold bilateral cooperation meeting

MANILA, Philippines – Officials from the Philippines and Vietnam met on Friday and talked about preparations for the 7th Joint Commission Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) to be held next year, which would involve discussions on defense cooperation and maritime issues, among others.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy and newly-delegated Philippine ambassador to China Erlinda Basilio met with Vietnam’s Vice Foreign Affairs Minister Pham Quang Vinh in Manila to talk about the preparations.

“The JCBC will discuss the implementation of the Philippines-Vietnam Action Plan 2011-2016, which covers cooperation on political, defense, security, economic, fisheries, agriculture, forestry, environment, science and technology, energy, education, cultural and tourism, social welfare and development, and maritime and ocean concerns and issues,” it said.

DFA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez said that issues on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) were always tackled in the context of maritime cooperation.

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Source: Written by Fat Reyes for the Global Nation Inquirer.