The largest-ever U.S.-Philippines Balikatan military exercises are underway, with 17,000 personnel taking part. The opening of this year's drills coincided with the Western Pacific Naval Symposium hosted by China, from which Japan and the Philippines were absent. In this episode of Taiwan Talks, we explore the implications of these events on regional maritime tensions.
Our guests are:
Sherwin Ona
- Associate professor in political science and development, De La Salle University
Ronan Fu
- Assistant research fellow, Academia Sinica Institute of Political Science
Chapters:
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:01:18 – Is the Philippines a New U.S.-China Flash Point?
00:05:15 – Implications of French Participation in Balikatan Drills
00:07:40 – China Hosts Western Pacific Naval Symposium
00:10:17 – Manila's Concerns Over Cyberthreats
00:15:50 – Unpacking China’s Influence Operations
00:22:20 – Philippine Strategies for National Security
00:23:54 – Taiwan's Role in Internationalizing Regional Issues
