Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, left, and Vietnamese Defense Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang inspect honor guards before their meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, in March 2025. IMAGE CREDIT: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

INDOPACOM’s on-line magazine, Indo-Pacific Forum reports,

Indonesian and Vietnamese leaders said their countries expect to formally agree in 2025 on exclusive economic zone (EEZ) boundaries. The move not only settles a long-standing debate on the countries’ overlapping maritime territories, but it also presents a united front to oppose China’s expansive and illegal claims on the South China Sea.

This is the way it should be. All the claimants to the South China Sea should settle their disputes by arbitration or submitting the dispute to the international tribunal set up under UNCLOS. This will expose the Chinese claims as unreasonable and illegal.

Other similar settlements are in the works.

Meanwhile, Philippine and Vietnamese officials have said they are ready to negotiate overlapping claims to the continental shelf in the South China Sea. “Both the Philippines and Vietnam agree that the way to move forward … is for dialogue and consultation,” Jonathan Malaya, the Philippine National Security Council’s assistant director general, said in July 2024, according to The Philippine Star newspaper.

Settling these disputes will also facilitate cooperation in search and rescue, fisheries management, and pollution response.