Between Talks and Tensions: Why the South China Sea Won’t Stabilise in 2026
Sophie Wushuang Yi
Progress on the South China Sea dispute between the Philippines and China is in limbo, and likely to stay that way.

Sophie Wushuang Yi
Progress on the South China Sea dispute between the Philippines and China is in limbo, and likely to stay that way.
Lowell Bautista|Aries A. Arugay
The Philippines' arbitral victory in 2016, though rejected by China, has helped entrench the law of the sea as the region's principal framework for understanding and contesting maritime claims.
Matteo Piasentini
The signing of a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement between France and the Philippines is a milestone in Manila’s efforts to diversify its security. It comes at a time when the Marcos Jr administration is flirting with the idea of resetting its ties with Beijing.
Ian Storey
Faced with an energy crisis at home, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has broached the idea of joint energy cooperation with China. The idea will not fly, for a variety of reasons.
Pham Ngoc Minh Trang|Tran le Duy
The 2016 arbitral ruling on the South China Sea has subtly shifted claimant states’ practices, a decade on.
Mico A Galang
As the Philippines faces a more complex strategic environment, security cooperation with like-minded countries is critical. This Long Read examines the strategic partnership between Japan and the Philippines, particularly under the Marcos Jr administration.
David Lam
The Philippines has become the first government in the world to put its national budget on a blockchain. It offers a precedent for using the technology's transparency and immutability to enforce fiscal accountability.
JC Punongbayan
The discovery of substantial natural gas deposits in the Philippines does not obviate the need for the country to make a longer-term transition to renewables.
JC Punongbayan
As remittances from overseas Filipinos slow down amid global uncertainties and a changing global economy, the Philippines needs to develop new growth drivers.
2025 Top 10
Nuurrianti Jalli|Angel Martinez
AI-generated propaganda is being used to distort reality and disinform the public, even gathering support for military escalation in already troubled waters.