West Philippine Sea — 9DASHLINE

As the Philippines’ 'agency' in West Philippine Sea rises, so too does its infrastructure development

Written by Joshua Bernard Espeña

In the Philippine context, the country’s newfound middle-power position offers the Southeast Asian state the ability to navigate uncertainties based on clearly defined national interests, and doubling down on its commitment to develop its infrastructures in the West Philippine Sea is one of the ways to do it.

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Chinese space debris spells trouble for the South China Sea

Written by Jay L Batongbacal

While China’s accomplishments as a new space power are truly impressive, its emerging record for safety and responsibility leaves very much to be desired.

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Shift in Philippine pivot to China hinges on next polls

Written by Frances Mangosing

The way things are going, we can expect Duterte to ramp up nationalist rhetoric over the next few months to gather voter support for his chosen successor. We have seen this game before.

South China Sea dispute: The three challenges to ASEAN’s position

Written by Kalvin Fung

ASEAN members such as Indonesia might find themselves mired in a quagmire: recognising a regime lambasted for its terrible human rights record might save ASEAN unity but could draw further condemnation from the West and international media; rejecting the junta might jeopardise regional unity and delay the long-awaited COC.

The 2016 South China Sea arbitration award: Can the past and present foretell the future?

Written by James Borton and Lucio Blanco Pitlo III

Sustained domestic pressure, efforts by other littoral states to align their claims with UNCLOS, and a growing chorus of countries referencing the award in their note verbales strengthen the hands of leaders who may come out more assertively on the issue.

Realising the Great Change: Beijing’s South China Sea lawfare strategy

Written by Ryan Lucas

Too often, foreign policy analysts have focused principally on the hard power component of China’s ambitions in the South China Sea. This security-centric approach, while important, risks downplaying a critical piece of China’s South China Sea strategy in the post-pandemic era.

Whitsun Reef: The next escalation point?

Written by Jay L Batongbacal

Manila must resume its original policy of standing by international law, reinforce its alliance with the US and strategic partnerships with middle powers like Japan and Australia, and deepen friendships with other external parties such as the UK and the EU.