JAKARTA, Indonesia — Vietnam has raised the possibility of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with other Asian countries on the prevention and management of incidents in the South China Sea as tensions in the disputed waters continue.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said this during his bilateral meeting with President Marcos on the sidelines of the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits here on Thursday morning, Sept. 7.

"[The MOA] will be officially signed with other countries and we also look forward to working closely with the Philippines in constant coordination," he said.

Chinh likewise mentioned intensifying maritime cooperation and addressing issues in maritime areas between the two countries.

In response, Marcos raised the possibility of fishery and maritime cooperation with Vietnam to protect the livelihood of the ordinary fisherfolk.

“That’s why the agreement that we are proposing is very important because it should not limit itself only to security and defense issues but also on the fishing rights,” he said.

“So again we have an understanding between the two countries so that we will not have any problems between your fishermen and ours," he added.

Both the Philippines and Vietnam have claims over portions of the South China Sea.