Is the Philippines stuck between China and the U.S.?

In 2016, an international arbitral tribunal sided with the Philippines in a case against China’s claims in the South China Sea. However, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who sought to bring the Philippines’ foreign policy closer to China, said the ruling was just “paper” fit for the waste bin. After Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. became the president in 2022, Philippine foreign policy shifted back towards strengthening its alliance with the United States. How does the Philippines manage its economic and security relationships with China, the United States, and other Southeast Asian nations? 

Marites Vitug (Rappler), co-author of Unrequited Love: Duterte’s Embrace of China, joins the National Committee in an interview recorded on March 3, 2025 to discuss foreign policy towards China, the United States, and ASEAN.

Learn more about the speaker and watch the youtube video here: https://www.ncuscr.org/video/philippines-foreign-policy/