SPORTS UPDATE: In a rare display of camaraderie, Vietnam, Philippines turn to sports in Spratlys

Vietnam, Philippines turn to sports in Spratlys - The Washington Post: "Vietnamese and Philippine naval personnel played football, volleyball and tug of war Sunday in a rare display of camaraderie in the South China Sea, where their territorial rifts with China have flared alarmingly.

The daylong sports festival was held on Vietnamese-occupied Southwest Cay Island and also included cultural presentations, the two countries’ navies said in a joint statement. Philippine officials said about 40 Filipino navy personnel sailed by boat to the island, bringing local delicacies such as rice cakes.

China, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have overlapping claims in the Spratlys, a group of mostly barren islands, reefs and atolls that are believed to be sitting atop oil and natural gas deposits and straddle some of the world’s most traversed sea lanes."



'via Blog this'