You dare believe? once there were two countries, shooting the chest, to the whole world to give out the fierce words: "Who dares to move China, first of us this affair!" this word, said that called a cut-off iron, feelings than the Chinese. can turn the eye, the cloud mutations. These two countries, now, but shifted the head, the various frictions and confrontation, directly targeted China, especially in the blue sea that we all care about - the South China Sea.
"Comrades plus brothers", the "South Gate" in exchange for US $20.3 billion
First talk about Vietnam. Speaking of Vietnam, the old generation of people in the heart of five flaws. The relationship, at the beginning, was really "like a family." Ho Chi MinhIn his early years in France and the Soviet Union, he founded the Communist Party of Vietnam in Hong Kong in 1930.
In 1950, when New China was just founded, it was still tightening its belt. It was the first one to recognize the Vietnam regime, and then began to provide assistance that could be called "bankrupt". This account needs to be settled. From 1950 to 1978, how much did China give to Vietnam? Total aid amounted to $20.3 billion! That’s $20.3 billion in the 1950s! that’s now enough to arm several aircraft carrier fleets.
Moreover, more than 90 percent of the money here is free of charge, free of charge. We don’t just give money, we give gunpowder, food, ammunition. battle of Dien Bien PhuIn the 1960s, the Americans came and the Vietnam War broke out, and China again stood on the pressure, and then sent hundreds of thousands of engineers to help Vietnam rebuild roads and railways, hardly bombarded by the U.S. military, and supported a “unbreakable” transport line.
At that time, Ho Chi Minh came to China many times, and he shouted that. "Comrade plus brother", is from the heart of my heart. He even expressed his position to the world in public: Vietnam is China's strong southern gate. Anyone who wants to attack China must first step over Vietnam! This friendship makes people's blood boil.
Big Brother's "Backstab": From Brother to Battlefield
Unfortunately, there is always a "but" in the story. In 1969, Ho Chi Minh died. He failed to see Vietnam's reunification in 1975 with his own eyes. After the reunification of Vietnam, everything changed. The little brother who once fought side by side suddenly felt his wings harden. He is no longer satisfied with the status quo, he wants to be the "boss of Southeast Asia". At that time, Sino-Soviet relations were deadlocked. The Vietnamese leadership began to play its own "small abacus", and they quietly fell to the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union gave money to equipment and supported Vietnam’s ambitions. So Vietnam began to float. In 1978, Vietnam invaded Cambodia. This is China can’t see, Cambodia is our friend, you Vietnam just united to expand, is it not threatening China’s southwestern border? Moreover, Vietnam began to exit China at home, on the Chinese-Vietnam border continuously provoking incidents. A fight against self-defense.and ring.
Within one month, our troops captured more than 20 towns in northern Vietnam, giving Vietnam's "dream of regional hegemony." Then, China voluntarily withdrew its troops. This war directly brought Vietnam back to its original shape. Their industrial base in the north is basically paralyzed, their economy is regressing, and they have to maintain a huge army to defend against China all year round. Life is miserable. This is the cold logic of international relations. There are no eternal brothers, only eternal interests.When Vietnam's national interests shifted from "survival" to "expansion", his former brother became a "barrier" on his expansion path.
Today's Vietnam: Economy depends on China, the South China Sea moves
Of course, thirty years will be east of the river and thirty years will be west of the river. By the late 1980s, Vietnam's economy was about to collapse. In 1986, they also learned from us and started "innovation and opening up." In 1991, the Big Brother Soviet Union disintegrated and Vietnam lost its backer, so it had to turn around and ease relations with China. What now? You look at the data, China has long been Vietnam’s largest trading partner.The annual trade volume is hundreds of billions of dollars. Just in December 2023, the two countries signed a joint statement to deepen strategic cooperation.
In August 2024, Vietnam declared that China was a “priority direction” for its diplomacy. The two countries will celebrate the 75th anniversary in 2025, leaders of both sides also exchanged congratulatory messages, saying that they would work together to build a "shared community for the future." Does that sound good? Don’t forget the South Sea. Just as the two sides shouted for cooperation, Vietnam never stopped making small moves in the South China Sea. Just in March 2025, data disclosed that in the past four years, Vietnam's reclaimed land in the Nansha Islands has reached 70% of the equivalent area of China。
They build the island at an astonishing pace, and they are still deploying equipment on it. On the one hand, it is a huge economic dependence, on the other hand, it is the momentum on the territory. This is the “balance technique” of Vietnam now. They are engaged in the economy with China, while on the other hand running to upgrade the “comprehensive strategic partnership” with the United States. Both want to make money from China, and want to pull the United States to support, to gain benefits in the South China Sea issue.
Philippines’ “reversal”: from flesh brothers to court plaintiffs
After talking about Vietnam, let's talk about the Philippines. This Philippine play is another script. In 1975, China and the Philippines established diplomatic relations, and the relationship has always been good. In 1998, then Philippine President Estrada visited China and even said emotionally that the two countries are “Brothers of Meat”In 2002, China and ASEAN (including the Philippines) signed the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea, and the dispute was slowly discussed and peacefully resolved.
But in 2010, a man named Benigno Aquino IIIThe president, who came from a political family, but as soon as he took office, changed the wind. The Yellow Island IncidentOutbreak. The Philippine warship wanted to catch our fishermen, and the Chinese coast guard ship arrived, and the two sides confronted each other. Finally, China actually controlled Huangyan Island.
Aquino III was angry, but he breathed a "big trick."In January 2013, he did something that shocked the world. Suit China to the international arbitration tribunal。 He wants to challenge China's "nine-segment line" and deny China's historical rights and interests in the South China Sea. This is a naked provocation. In those years, Sino-Philippine relations dropped to freezing point. Aquino III even publicly compared China to "Nazi Germany" in 2015, saying that China was expanding in the South China Sea.
In 2016, the so-called "arbitration result" came out and the Philippines was awarded "win". Of course, China "does not accept, participate or recognize". This farce completely brought the relationship between the two countries to a deadlock.
2025: Marcos' Roller Coaster '
Why did Aquino III do this? To put it bluntly, it is still interest. He felt that the oil and gas in the South China Sea belonged to him, and with the support of the United States behind him, his courage grew stronger. In 2016, Aquino stepped down and Duterte came to power. This Lao Du made another U-turn, alienated the United States, came to get close to China, took a lot of investment, and relations eased for several years.
But the good times will not last long. In 2022, The little Marcus.Here we go. He turned the steering wheel back and hugged America's thigh again. Starting from 2023, the Philippines will be in Renai reefContinuously engaging in the issue, sending ships to "touch ceramics", China's naval police warned with water cannons.
Entering 2024, the Philippines has even pulled the United States, Japan, and Australia to conduct joint military exercises in the South China Sea. What's the latest update? just August 2025Mr Marcos has publicly said that because the U.S. has bases in the Philippines, he fears the Philippines will be involved in the Taiwan Sea conflict.
And arrived September 2025When he met with the Chinese ambassador who is about to leave, he said that the differences in the South China Sea are not the whole of the relationship between the two countries, but also complained that the two sides have made "little progress" on the South China Sea issue.You good, this is a talk.The Philippine diplomacy is like a "cross-mountain car".They now play is the "hybrid version" of Duterte and Aquino: economically not separate from China, and safely hold the United States.
Epilogue: There is no eternal vow, only eternal benefit
Go back to the question we started with: Why did the “guards” once point their head toward China? What is there between the country and the country? all are driven by "national interests".
Ho Chi Minh said that he wanted to protect China because he needed China's assistance to save the country. When Vietnam was reunified, his interests became "regional hegemony", and China changed from "big brother" to "obstacle". Estrada said "flesh and blood brothers" because he needed China's market and investment.
When Aquino III and Marcos felt that they could gain more "benefits" by relying on the United States to do trouble in the South China Sea, the "brotherhood" relationship could be immediately forgotten. Vietnam and the Philippines, what they are doing in the South China Sea today is just a replica of Vietnam's backstabbing in 1978 and a continuation of the Philippines 'complaint in 2013.
This reminds us: It doesn’t matter what someone says, it depends on what they do. Facing these former "brothers", we must not only remember the historical differences, but also see clearly the reality in front of us. In the complex international game, the only thing we can rely on is our own ever-growing strength.