MANILA - China may behave more carefully in the South China Sea if the the good relations between the Philippines and Vietnam are sustained, an analyst said Saturday.

“Kung ito’y magpapatuloy, ibig sabihin parang united front yung Vietnam at Pilipinas, medyo mag-iingat na ang China, kasi parang magiging umpisa yan na maging united lahat ng ASEAN members na merong claims diyan sa South China Sea,“ said Atty. Jay Batongbacal, Director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea at the University of the Philippines College of Law.

“Eh, ayaw niya yun, ayaw ng China yun. Gusto niya, bilateral lang. Gusto niya, isa-isa lang niyang kinakausap, kasi siyempre, pag ganun… eh kınakaya niya, nadedehado yung mga mas maliit,” he added.

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“Pero ‘pag nag-unite yung apat, at sabay-sabay siyang haharapin, o iisa lang ang posisyon niya pagharap na nila sa Tsina, medyo mas malakas yung tinatawag na negotiation leverage nung mga maliliit na bansa na yun.”

ASEAN stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand as members.

Among the 10 nations, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia have competing claims in the South China Sea, which China claims in its near entirety. Taiwan has claims in the waters as well.

Batongacal noted that the Philippines and Vietnam have been in talks since the 1990s to at least coordinate their movements in the disputed waters.

There have also been exchanges of information and visits between the military forces of the two countries in the Spratlys over the last several years.

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Vietnam backed the Philippines during the arbitration case it lodged against China on the South China Sea, Batongbacal pointed out.

“Nung South China Sea arbitration, actually ang Vietnam nag-issue ng opisyal na statement na tinutulungan ang Pilipinas dun sa kaniyang mga pleadings, yung posisyon niya, dun sa arbitration panel. Nag-agree sila dun sa posisyon ng Pilipinas na isinulong dun sa arbitration. At isa po yun siguro sa dahilan na nakita ng tribunal kung bakit tama yung posisyon, yung mga argumento ng Pilipinas,” he said.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in July 2016 that China has no legal basis for its nine-dash line claims in the South China Sea. But the Asian superpower refuses to honor the decision.

• READ: Arbitral court's ruling on Philippines vs China

Batongbacal said that despite the lingering maritime disputes with Vietnam, the Philippines' cooperation with its Southeast Asian neighbor is such that both countries are unlikely to result in violent encounters.

The Philippines and Vietnam have agreed to strengthen coordination in dealing with maritime issues, particularly in working on a code of conduct in the South China Sea, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said last Wednesday.

"The two countries expressed serious concern over unilateral activities that undermine peace and stability in the region. They committed to work together to protect their rights and legitimate interests under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and enhance confidence-building measures between relevant agencies," the DFA said in a statement.

• Philippines, Vietnam agree to work on South China Sea code of conduct

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