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Experts Weigh In on China-Philippines Standoffs in the South China Sea

by Han Zhen
Chinese Coast Guard vessel (L) blocks the ML Kalayaan chartered supply boat (R) during a mission to deliver provisions at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on November 10, 2023. JAM STA ROSA / AFP

Here is a sliver of the growing commentary emerging about the Philippines’ attempt to fight off what it sees as incursions by Chinese forces into its backyard in the South China Sea.

What Analysts Are Saying:

  • “The situation around Second Thomas highlights a key feature of China’s foreign policy—its refusal to acknowledge that the Philippines and other small states have their own agency in disputes with Beijing.” —China strategic studies experts Greg Poling and Jude Blanchette (AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE)
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