UPDATE 1-Vietnam, Philippines seal deals on South China Sea security, rice

Vietnam and the Philippines agreed on Tuesday to boost cooperation among their coastguards and to prevent untoward incidents in the South China Sea, in an announcement during a state visit by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The two Southeast Asian countries have competing claims over some parts of the South China Sea, a conduit for $3 trillion of annual ship-borne trade that China claims almost in its entirety. The agreement in Hanoi, details of which were not disclosed, could risk angering Beijing, which has deployed its vast fleet of coastguard throughout the South China Sea to police its expansive territorial claims.