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Richard Javad Heydarian
Professorial Chairholder in Geopolitics, Polytechnic University of the Philippines
Oct 11, 2019
If China’s dismal and declining approval ratings are any indication, the Philippine people are fast losing confidence in Duterte’s Beijing-friendly diplomacy, instead favoring a tougher approach to the South China Sea disputes.
Sep 26, 2019
The recent move by the Philippine government to allow the Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company to become the nation’s third telecommunications provider is yet another major step made by the Duterte administration to display its loyalty to Beijing – and another step towards untethering longstanding ties with the U.S.
Sep 17, 2019
ASEAN’s best strategy for keeping China’s revisionist ambitions at bay and preserving maximum room for strategic maneuver is to engage the USA.
Aug 23, 2019
Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has sent mixed signals about how he will pursue his country’s South China Sea arbitration award against China in 2016, and his recent rhetoric promising to take a tougher stance on China may not come to fruition.
Aug 09, 2019
The widespread protests in Hong Kong, which led to the defeat of a perceived pro-Beijing extradition bill, has only emboldened the pro-independence movement in Taiwan. With all sides hardening their respective positions, Taiwan is quickly turning into the front-line of Sino-American Cold War in the Indo-Pacific.
Jul 17, 2019
In a deliberate attempt to stave off a diplomatic crisis with Beijing, President Duterte contradicted Filipino defense and military officials and downplayed the collision of a Chinese vessel into a Filipino fishing boat as a maritime accident rather than a direct attack. Most Filipino officials see this incident as jut the latest of China’s attempts to maneuver for control of the South China Sea.
Jun 21, 2019
The behavior of both US and Chinese officials at this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue signaled the end of a period of relative peace in the Indo-Pacific region. The smaller states are increasingly concerned that the two superpowers will simply stumble into war, and urge the two to find common ground on shared challenges to maintain a peaceful relationship.
Jun 06, 2019
While unable to alter Duterte’s diplomatic strategy towards China, the influential and largely autonomous Philippine defense establishment is conducting a parallel China policy of its own. The result is a dualistic foreign policy, combining both engagement and deterrence.
Apr 29, 2019
The Filipino president is facing domestic backlash over his Beijing-friendly policies amid crucial midterm elections, which serve as a referendum on Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency.
Mar 19, 2019
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed has demonstrated himself to be a truly independent-minded leader. With an inexplicable audacity to stand up to both the West and East in order to protect the interest of smaller nations, he very well may be the last titan of Asia.