United States

China

Japan

Philippines

Taiwan

Military & Security

U.S.-China Relations

An annual Pentagon report on China's military detailed on Dec. 18 the faster-than-expected expansion of China's nuclear arsenal to 600 warheads in 2024. 

China, U.S.: Pentagon Report Highlights Escalating Missile Arms Race

Politics

The Philippine Senate ratified the country's Reciprocal Access Agreement with Japan, Reuters reported on Dec. 16. 

Philippines, Japan: Manila Ratifies Reciprocal Access Agreement

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte stated during a press conference that she had a plan in place to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and his cousin Speaker of the House Martin Romualdez if she is killed first, AP reported on Nov. 23.

Philippines: Vice President Freely Articulates Plan To Assassinate President

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that Washington would furnish the Philippines with an undisclosed number of unmanned surface vessels, or USVs, for use within the so-called West Philippine Sea (the section of the South China Sea within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone) that it disputes with China, the South China Morning Post reported Nov. 21.

U.S., Philippines: Alliance Deepens in Last Months of Biden Administration

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The United States and the Philippines signed and finalized the General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA, an intelligence pact that will enable Washington to share highly confidential military intelligence and technology on key weapons with Manilla, AP reported on Nov. 18.

Philippines, U.S.: Allies Ink GSOMIA, Upgrade Intelligence Relationship

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the Maritime Zones act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes act into law, Nikkei Asia reported on Nov. 8.

Philippines: New Laws Strengthen Legal Position of Territorial Claims

The Philippine Senate launched a probe into former President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 28.

Philippines: Probe Into Drug War Could Affect Midterms, Foreign Policy

South Korea

Economics

South Korea and the Philippines upgraded ties to a strategic partnership, with Seoul pledging $1.9 billion in low-interest loans for infrastructure projects in the Philippines, including a ring road in the capital and an eight-mile (13-kilometer) bridge in the central region, the South China Morning Post reported on Oct. 7.

South Korea, Philippines: Seoul Pledges Infrastructure Aid as Countries Upgrade Ties

Assessments

(Left to right) U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro take part in a joint press conference in Manila on July 30, 2024. 

A recent slew of bilateral deals indicates an effort by both governments to rapidly expand defense cooperation and institutionalize their alliance before Trump takes office.

The U.S. and the Philippines Race To Deepen Ties Before Potential Policy Shifts

A U.S. amphibious assault ship takes part in a joint U.S.-Philippines military exercise on the shores of San Antonio town, facing the South China Sea, on April 11, 2019. 

Global Elections

Like Biden, Harris would likely see the Philippines as a key partner in regional efforts to counter China, while Trump would likely adopt a more transactional, bilateral approach that could either strengthen or strain ties with Manila.

How Might the U.S. Presidential Election Impact Ties With the Philippines?

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Indonesia

Laos

Malaysia

Myanmar

Singapore

Thailand

Vietnam

Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone (center) and other ASEAN leaders take part in the 2024 ASEAN summit in Vientiane on Oct. 9, 2024. 

The deals signed at the summit reflect an increasing focus on economic integration amid the Southeast Asian bloc's continued failure to find consensus on security issues.

Reviewing the 2024 ASEAN Summit

The flags of ASEAN members are displayed at a naval base during the ASEAN Solidarity Exercise in Batam, Natuna regency, Riau Islands province, Indonesia, on Sept. 20, 2023. 

ASEAN's economic and geopolitical diversity will impede significant progress toward deeper integration, despite members' intention to collaborate more closely.

Economic and Geopolitical Diversity Hinders ASEAN's Path to Deeper Integration

Ghana

Kenya

Nigeria

Uganda

Venezuela

Australia

United Kingdom

India

A motorcyclist looks at his phone in front of a National Electoral Council poster promoting the upcoming presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 23, 2024.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: An Election in Venezuela, Economic Reforms in the U.K.

An aerial photo taken on Sept. 25, 2022, shows solar panels at the Sao Mai solar energy plant in Vietnam’s An Giang province. 

Energy

Several ASEAN countries are on track to develop substantial renewable power capacities in the short term, but technical, political and financial constraints, coupled with incentives to keep burning fossil fuels, will impede long-term decarbonization goals.

The Challenges Facing Southeast Asia's Decarbonization

Columns

On Geopolitics

Fiji

New Zealand

North Korea

A 3D rendering of Southeast Asia from space at night with city lights showing Southeast Asian cities in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

In the Asia-Pacific, countries are increasingly pursuing complex networks of political, economic and defense ties as part of a burgeoning "multi-alignment" strategy that seeks to avoid U.S.-China strategic competition.

Examining 'Multi-Alignment' in the Asia-Pacific

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (center), flanked by two other U.S. officials, is seen during a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo (not pictured) on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly at the Lotte Palace Hotel in New York City on Sept. 22, 2023.

Cyber

A partnership between the three countries will likely improve freedom of navigation and economic security in the South China Sea, but may also raise the risk of trade disputes and conflict with China.

What To Watch for During the Inaugural U.S.-Japan-Philippines Summit

Iran

Israel

Poland

People attend an April 5, 2024, funeral procession for seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in an Israeli strike in Syria.

The Weekly Rundown: The Threat of Iranian Retaliation Against Israel, Polish Local Elections

Egypt

Europe

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on March 14, 2024, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Dueling U.S. and Chinese Diplomacy, a European Council Summit

Pakistan

Chinese officials at the Fifth Plenary Session of the National People's Congress on March 12, 2023 in Beijing. Beijing will host the annual Two Sessions meetings of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, an industry and societal consultative body, and the rubberstamp National People's Congress from March 4-11.

The Weekly Rundown: Pakistan Selects a New Premier, China's Two Sessions

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers a speech during a political rally in Manila on Jan. 28, 2024. 

Duterte's growing political dispute with his successor could reignite secessionist sentiment on the Mindanao island and derail efforts to attract investment and maintain close U.S. ties.

Tensions Flare Between the Philippines' Current and Former Presidents

The Philippines is a collection of over 7,000 islands situated at the confluence of the South China Sea, the Indonesian archipelago, the Philippine Sea and Pacific Ocean. It forms the outer edge of maritime Southeast Asia, and for much of its modern history has served as a gateway between western powers and continental Asia.     A former colony of both Spain and the United States, the Philippines today consists of three island clusters: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Luzon, with the country’s capital in Manila, is the political, cultural and economic core of modern Philippines. It is highly urbanized relative to the rest of the country, boasts a large port and deep harbor, and accounts for roughly one-third of the Philippines GDP. Mindanao has long been a hotbed for political unrest and insurgent movements and is populated by the predominantly Muslim Moro tribes. It is also an important fruit and produce exporter.    The Philippines is shaped by sharp geographic, economic and social divisions between a primarily urban north — in Luzon — and a heavily agricultural, poorer south. This, along with the fractured island geography, makes effective national integration difficult. It also undermines Manila's efforts to play a stronger role throughout the South China Sea region or guard against external infringement on its territorial waters, especially from China. That weakness is apparent today, as China's increasingly aggressive moves to assert its own maritime claims test Manila's voice in groups like ASEAN as well as its alliance with the U.S.    While the Philippines’ location at the entrance to maritime Southeast Asia makes it geopolitically significant, internal imbalances continue to hamper its ability to actively defend its own claims, let alone project power.

Supply Chains

Asia-Pacific: Among Great Powers

Southeast Asia: Burdened by Consensus

SITUATION REPORTS

China, U.S.: Pentagon Report Highlights Escalating Missile Arms Race

Philippines, Japan: Manila Ratifies Reciprocal Access Agreement

Philippines: Vice President Freely Articulates Plan To Assassinate President

U.S., Philippines: Alliance Deepens in Last Months of Biden Administration

Philippines, U.S.: Allies Ink GSOMIA, Upgrade Intelligence Relationship

Philippines: New Laws Strengthen Legal Position of Territorial Claims

Philippines: Probe Into Drug War Could Affect Midterms, Foreign Policy

South Korea, Philippines: Seoul Pledges Infrastructure Aid as Countries Upgrade Ties

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