Maritime issues put in Vietnam-Brunei cooperation pillars amid South China Sea tensions
Both Vietnam and Brunei are claimants in the South China Sea, one of the most contested patches of water in the world.
Vietnam and Brunei have reached a consensus in which they will intensify maritime cooperation in their comprehensive partnership as both countries are claimants in the South China Sea, which is called the East Sea in Vietnam. 
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Brunei Darussalam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah in Hanoi. Photo: Vnanet
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The countries regard sea as important geostrategy that they expect to pay more attention to in reinforcing the bilateral ties, the Vietnamese government said on its portal.
The two sides addressed the important role of sea in geopolitics, in diplomacy, and regional security, saying that the cooperation is one of pillars in the relationship which has been recently upgraded to comprehensive partnership.
Phuc said each country should adjust its diplomacy and governance to be suitable with recent changes in the Asia-Pacific and ASEAN.
He urged the two countries to closely take action in security and defense signed before. The two sides have operated a hotline to support the fishing at sea.
In the joint statement, the two countries hailed the framework agreement on strategic cooperation between a PetroVietnam Technical Services Corporation (PTSC) subsidiary and Brunei’s PB Services in engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning (EPCIC) contracts in Brunei Darussalam and other regional countries.
Crude oil and natural gas production account for approximately 65% of GDP and 95% of exports of Brunei.
Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong receives Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah in Hanoi. Photo: VNA
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Other pillars in the bilateral ties include investment, trade, and cooperation in international agendas.
Investment: The two countries will eye investment in infrastructure under the public-private partnership (PPP), energy, hospitality, and hi-tech agriculture.
Trade: Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that Vietnam has four offices supplying Halal-certified food to Indonesia, Malaysia, and some other countries having Islamic communities. He said the two sides should set up seafood processing joint ventures to serve the demand.
Brunei’s sultan and Yang di-Pertuan said his country has been interested in agriculture and will boost the import of farm produce, mostly seafood from Vietnam.
The sultan spoke highly of the importance of multilateral free trade agreements, pledging to soon ratify the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and complete this year the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which is a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between ten ASEAN member states.
International agendas: The Vietnamese PM said he hoped Vietnam and Brunei both advance the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 in the context that Vietnam will take the ASEAN presidency in 2020 and Brunei’s turn in 2021.
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