Geo Politics

As the world’s focus shifted to Seoul during US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit, North Korea’s missile launches sent a rippling message of defiance and strength. The timing of these tests is seen as a strategic move by Pyongyang, coinciding with high-level diplomatic talks and the Summit for Democracy in South Korea. Early Monday, the skies over the Korean …

The South China Sea is a strategic and contested waterway, where China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan have overlapping territorial and maritime claims. The sea is rich in natural resources, such as fish, oil, and gas, and is also a vital route for international trade and commerce. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, based on its …

A fake news report circulated online in November 2023, claiming that Philippine fighter jets had circled and harassed Chinese vessels in the South China Sea, or the West Philippine Sea as Manila calls it. The report, which was shared on various social media platforms and websites, cited unnamed sources and used fabricated quotes and images to support its claim. The …

A massive data leak has exposed the hacking activities of a Chinese tech firm, i-Soon, which has been linked to China’s top policing agency and other parts of its government.  The data leak, which was posted online by an anonymous whistleblower, shows that i-Soon hacked into the systems and networks of foreign governments, organizations, and individuals, in order to collect …

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is facing a dilemma on whether to sue China over its alleged use of cyanide in fishing activities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the disputed waters in the South China Sea.  The Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has recently reported that it has found evidence of cyanide fishing by Chinese vessels in …

Russia and Ukraine have been at war since February 2022, when Russia invaded and annexed Crimea, a peninsula in the Black Sea that belonged to Ukraine. The war then spread to the eastern regions of Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists, backed by Russian troops and weapons, fought against the Ukrainian government forces. The war has claimed more than 20,000 lives, displaced …

China and Taiwan have been locked in a state of hostility and rivalry since 1949, when the Chinese civil war ended with the victory of the communist forces led by Mao Zedong, and the retreat of the nationalist forces led by Chiang Kai-shek to the island of Taiwan.  China claims Taiwan as a renegade province that must be reunited with …

The Philippines and India have recently agreed to enhance their defense cooperation, including the export of military equipment from India to the Philippines. The deal, which was concluded in Manila in March 2021, will enable the Philippines to acquire BrahMos missiles, which are jointly developed by India and Russia, as well as other defense hardware and services from India. The …

The Philippines, a Southeast Asian archipelago that claims part of the South China Sea as its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), has been embroiled in a long-standing territorial dispute with China, a regional power that claims almost the entire sea as its sovereign territory.  The dispute has escalated in recent months, as China has increased its presence and activities in the …

The PUV Modernization Program, launched by the Philippine government in 2017, aims to replace the old and polluting jeepneys, the iconic and popular public transport vehicles in the country, with new and eco-friendly ones. However, the program has been met with resistance and criticism from jeepney drivers, operators, and commuters, who fear that the program will phase out the traditional …