On April 11, U.S. President Joe Biden will host the inaugural Japan-Philippines-U.S. trilateral summit at the White House. In this engagement, Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, and Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will “advance a trilateral partnership built on deep historical ties… and a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” according … Read more
Magazine Despite being repeatedly let down by its sole treaty ally, the Philippines has persisted in preserving its territorial claims and sovereign rights in the hotly-contested body of water. A Chinese coast guard boat moves near the Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4 (in green) after it was hit by their water canon blast causing … Read more
Even as the world’s attention is focused on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, tensions continue to rise in Southeast Asia between the Philippines and China. Recent incidents at sea between the two have been the worst in more than a decade. The United States, through its active presence in the region and treaty alliance … Read more
Governments around the world were keeping a close eye on this week’s summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden, held on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leader’s Meeting in San Francisco. In their first in-person meeting since November 2022 – and just their second since Biden assumed office – the … Read more
Advertisement The Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in June 2022; since then, the specter of a cross-strait crisis has loomed large. One of the first regional foreign policy crises that Marcos had to address was the aftermath of then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan that August. At just about 160 kilometers … Read more
Advertisement Fourteen months into President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s tenure, we are discovering that the Philippines’ future has profound implications for the region and the United States. The transformation of the Philippines into an increasingly active middle power under the younger Marcos may either uphold or upend peace in the South China Sea. During his inaugural … Read more
Advertisement Philippine defense diplomacy has been under such immense turbulence lately that it’s easy to lose sight of the strategic picture given the flurry of developments. In February, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expanded the United States’ basing access under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). His sister, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Imee Marcos, has … Read more
Advertisement On June 3, the Philippines’ defense chief and his counterparts from the United States, Japan, and Australia held an inaugural four-way ministerial meeting where they affirmed their commitment to a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.” Whether or not this signals the genesis of a new “Quad,” this is just the latest outcome from the Philippines’ … Read more