Philippines
Australia must act fast on joint patrols with the Philippines
Enrique Manalo, Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary, made his feelings clear. “During our discussions,” he declared on Tuesday, standing alongside his Australian counterpart…
How China sees its conflict with the Philippines
Tensions are high again in the South China Sea. While Beijing attempts to tighten its grip on the region with a new ten-dash line, a multi-billion dollar military modernisation…
The Philippines and Australia: A new golden era of strategic relations?
Just months into office, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles visited Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue, where he made it absolutely clear that…
Pipe dreams: Turning an interconnected ASEAN gas market into a reality
The development began in the 1960s when the Southeast Asian natural gas sector grew significantly after discoveries in Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia. In the decades that followed…
Overseas Filipino workers toil for the Marcos government’s bottom line
Standing to deliver a “State of the Nation Address” last month, a year after assuming office, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr triumphantly announced he had solved a …
It might be plastic fantastic, but Barbie lends cartoonish credibility to China’s nine-dash line
To think that even before Hollywood actors and writers went out on strike, the year had already produced one of the biggest film controversies – Barbie stumbling across China’s …
Despite the excitement, India’s South China Sea policy remains unchanged
An India-Philippines joint statement last month has caused a stir. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s Foreign Minister, and his Filipino counterpart, Enrique Manalo, issued a…
Marcos has turned the Philippines towards America – not without risks
With President Ferdinand Marcos Jr about to make an official visit to Washington, the Philippines this month granted the United States rotational access to four more military…
China is its own worst enemy
On 3 April, the Philippines government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr formally unveiled four additional locations where US forces will be permitted to operate. Two of those…
Philippines: The best friend for AUKUS in Southeast Asia
Almost two years since it was first announced, the AUKUS submarine deal between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States hasn’t been getting much love across Southeast…