South China Sea disputes

Malaysia and Indonesia have tacitly consented to China’s assertive actions in the South China Sea.

Enrique Manalo described the 2016 award as the precondition of "stability, peace, and progress" in the disputed waterway.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi was all smiles during his stop in Manila, but China-Philippine relations are likely to remain freighted with challenges.

In 2018, Manila and Beijing began talks on the joint exploration of offshore oil and gas resources in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

"The United States has had national interests at stake in the South China Sea for as long as the disputes have existed."

The promise came following campaign trail comments advocating a bilateral deal with Beijing over outstanding maritime and territorial disputes.

Hanoi's Foreign Ministry described the May-August moratorium as "a violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty and territorial jurisdiction."

The call forms a neat bookend to Duterte's six years of controversial rapprochement with China.

Manila should change the narrative from a focus on “how to defend” against China toward a more active strategy of deterring China.

The leading candidate's comments suggest that his victory in May could lead to an extension of President Rodrigo Duterte's divisive China policy.

The long-expected acquisition marks the latest evolution of Southeast Asia's naval arms competition.