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The Philippines
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The Philippines

The Philippines
The Philippines
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on the Philippines, covering politics, economy, society, and Manila’s relationships with China and its Southeast Asian neighbours.
A sailor raises the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force ensign on board the JS Ise helicopter destroyer as it docks in Manila last year. Photo: AFP
Defence

How the Philippines became Japan’s closest security partner in Southeast Asia

Japan’s participation in the Balikatan drill and its new weapon export rules are set to further defence ties between the two countries.

Millionaires and billionaires

Mainland China’s ultra-wealthy numbers rise as Hong Kong poised for rebound

Fashion

A. Society’s founders on the Hong Kong eyewear brand’s rise to global cool

Asean

New direction: Southeast Asian airports fill Middle East hub gap

SIA, Cathay, Korean Air and Qantas have reported an increase in demand for European routes as travellers avoid Middle Eastern hubs.

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Passengers enter the departure area at Singapore’s Changi Airport. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong society

Film on Manila hostage crisis sparks debate over ‘secondary trauma’ in Hong Kong

‘Beyond Hostage Crisis’, set to open in Hong Kong next month, draws mixed reactions, with some raising trauma concerns and others defending it.

International Criminal Court

‘Vindication’: ICC chamber rules case against Rodrigo Duterte to proceed

Duterte’s lawyers argue that the crimes against humanity case targeting him should not proceed as the Philippines is not an ICC member.

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Rodrigo Duterte

Philippine lawmakers examine gap in VP Sara’s bank statements, declared wealth

A hearing into complaints about the financial position of the vice-president and her husband could potentially lead to her impeachment.

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Protesters call for the impeachment of Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio outside the House of Representatives in Quezon City, Metro Manila, last month. Photo: AFP
China-Asean relations

Exclusive | China and Philippines taking ‘baby steps’ towards better relations: ambassador

Jaime FlorCruz says both sides want stable ties, but closer economic relations must not be used as ‘leverage’ in the South China Sea dispute.

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China's military weapons

PLA’s new Type 076 ‘drone carrier’ set for South China Sea training drills

China’s next-level amphibious warship, the Sichuan, in same waters where US, Japan and the Philippines are conducting joint military exercises.

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SCMP Highlights

India’s nuclear breakthrough, Southeast Asia’s Balikatan snub: 7 Asia highlights

From Southeast Asian nations skipping Balikatan drills to India’s nuclear breakthrough, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Fishermen pull their boats to the shore near the Kalpakkam atomic power station in Tamil Nadu. Photo: AP
Asean

Work-from-home may not save as much energy as Southeast Asia hopes

Remote work for civil servants sounds like an easy solution in an energy crisis. Analysts aren’t so sure.

Motorists drive along a road in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, on April 6. Thailand has ordered its civil servants to work from home amid the energy crisis. Photo: EPA
War and conflict

Philippine army kills at least 10 Maoist rebels during battles in Negros

The military said a local New People’s Army leader was among the dead, with both sides engaged in six firefights in Toboso.

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China-Japan relations

Japan warship’s Taiwan Strait voyage reignites China tensions

The JS Ikazuchi passed through the Taiwan Strait on Friday, the anniversary of an 1895 treaty handing Taiwan to Japan.

Japan

Can a US-governed ‘Pax Silica’ hub turn Philippines into a chip powerhouse?

The chip-focused ‘economic security zone’ will reportedly operate under US law despite being on Philippine soil.

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An employee of a semiconductor company in Manila displays computer chips manufactured in the Philippines in 2008. The country has long been confined to the lower-value work of chip assembly, testing and packaging. Photo: AFP
Japan

Vietnam, Philippines trust Japan. But Indonesia’s more cautious

Analysts say Indonesia worries about its neutrality as Tokyo ramps up ties with the US and lags behind China on green investment.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald Trump share a glance during remarks at White House dinner on March 19. Photo: Kyodo
China-Japan relations

Is Japan’s treaty-day Taiwan Strait warship transit a new flashpoint with China?

The JS Ikazuchi’s passage through the waterway on Friday ‘harmed the feelings of the Chinese people’.

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Asean

Opinion | As Iran war fallout hits Southeast Asia, US is losing influence to China

Asean survey reflects China’s growing strategic influence but also concerns. The question is: will China crowd the US out of the region?

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US immigration

Meet the Filipino spouses turning their migration journeys into viral content

Women make up 90 per cent of Filipino marriage migrants, moving mainly to the US, Canada, Japan and Australia.

Lea Albritton, the influencer behind “Pinay sa America” and her husband, Timothy. Photo: Lea Albritton
Music

BINI made history at Coachella. Can the Philippines build on it?

The Filipino girl group’s desert debut proved P-pop’s pedigree. Now Manila needs to find the budget to back the talent already going global.

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China's military weapons

Could the PLA use minelaying drones in a blockade over Taiwan?

Japan’s islands and the waters of the Philippines could be targeted in a cross-strait operation, according to military magazine.

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Japan

Japan ditches decades of arm export curbs as US reliability wavers

From drones for Ukraine to warships for Australia, ‘peace-loving’ Japan is fast pivoting towards arming the world.

Japanese Type 10 battle tanks operate during a military drill in Funabashi, east of Tokyo, in January. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

Shock therapy: war forces oil-addicted Asia to finally go green

Burned by soaring energy prices, Southeast Asian nations are racing to future-proof themselves against the volatility of war.

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Floating solar panels are seen at a hydro-solar farm run by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand in Ubon Ratchathani province. Photo: AFP
Ferdinand Marcos Jnr

Philippine ex-lawmaker Zaldy Co’s arrest revives long-stalled corruption probe

Observers say Co’s arrest is a ‘notable step towards accountability’ and committee hearings on the flood control scandal could resume.

South China Sea

China, Vietnam vow to ‘better’ navigate South China Sea disputes

Joint communique indicates wish to keep maritime disputes from jeopardising ties and caps To Lam’s trip.

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South China Sea

Opinion | Without restraint, Beijing and Manila can’t deliver the South China Sea code

Much hinges on how China and the Philippines manage the distrust between their frontline maritime forces.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Ferdinand Marcos Jnr

Philippines corruption scandal suspect Zaldy Co caught in Prague, Marcos says

Efforts are under way to repatriate the ex-lawmaker, who is accused of pocketing huge kickbacks from flood-control projects.

Fugitive Philippine lawmaker Zaldy Co (left) and President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr. Photos: AFP
Taiwan

What does Japan’s role in a US-Philippine military drill mean for Taiwan?

Tokyo’s 1,400 combat troops mark most extensive participation yet in annual joint exercise and signal ‘priorities’ to Beijing, analysts say.

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Japan

Why Japan will remain the most trusted power in Asean despite military push

A survey by ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute shows respondents trusted Japan more as a power than the EU, the US, China and India.

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