Vietnam rocked what would have been the normally uneventful meeting of Asean foreign ministers last week by unexpectedly asking the body to include in its communique its concern over “island building and militarization” in the South China Sea, an obvious reference to China’s building of installations on the seven reefs it controls. While the Asean foreign ministers thumbed down the Vietnamese proposal, China’s retort drew attention to the other major player in the territorial disputes in the South China Sea: the fiercely nationalistic Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Tiglao, R. (2017, August 14). Vietnam could be more serious threat to us in the South China Sea dispute. The Manila Times, p. A4.