US Prepares for War in South China Sea: Is the Philippines a ‘Pawn in Their Game’?

Every few days or so, we see a headline about “tensions” or “clashes” in the South China Sea, with regular ship collisions resulting in China and the Philippines blaming the other. And at this past weekend’s Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned of what he called China’s “aggression” and “intimidation” against its neighbors, calling on Asian Pacific countries to increase military buildup in the contested waters. This comes as Philippine and US forces kick off their second set of joint military exercises in the Philippines in just one month.

This week, geopolitical analyst Anna Malindog-Uy joins Amanda Yee to discuss how to make sense of these tensions, the basis for competing territorial claims in the South China Sea, and what role the Philippines serves in U.S. containment strategy of China.

Our understanding of China — and U.S.-China relations — has become a defining feature of all global politics. The China Report is a new show produced in collaboration with Pivot to Peace where every week, we will be helping you through all the propaganda with an independent view of the country we are taught to hate, but know so little about.

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