Newsletter Issue 9, sr. 2021 |
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Towards the end of September, a regional shake-up has transpired. Did you catch wind of it? AUKUS is the name of the game. While a generally welcomed development, Australia, the UK, and the US's transition towards a strategic trilateral cooperation stirred the region and world afar. The development received a mixed bag of responses. China, the least happiest with the development, has been ramping up its activities in the region, from 1) enacting a new and transgressive revisions on its on its maritime traffic security law to gauge how other countries would react to 2) ramping up its military pressure over Taiwan for putting its name forward in a bid to join the CPTPP. More news on this from our Taiwan Observer segment. Domestically, the Philippines boast positive developments in its maritime security domain protection and promotion. This month, September 2021, the Philippines celebrated Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANAMO) - an effort to build awareness of the Philippines' inherent maritime orientation among the public and private sectors. On the security front, our security front-liners from the Philippine Coast Guard and the Navy have fended off intrusions from Chinese vessels. After 45 years, the Philippines enters the global supply chain with an international ship under the Philippine flag. We finally have an honest-to-goodness shipping line going international! The Department of Trade and Industry and the Maritime Industry Authority sought to correct import-export delays brought by the pandemic. This new development can be a great boon to many businesses and to the economy in the long-run. Our very own research fleet (called National Academic Research Fleet or NARFleet for short) is set to sail for its first expedition very soon! We are turning one year old next month! We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their continued patronage of the Philippine Maritime Matters newsletter! |
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Think-tanks conclude Philippines-Australia Dialogue 2021 with Recommendations for the Future On Thursday, 30 September 2021, the Foundation for the National Interest (FNI) and Griffith Asia Institute (GAI) concluded the Philippines-Australia Dialogue 2021 with recommendation for the future, taking into consideration the geopolitical environment, the global pandemic situation, and the road to economic recovery. In its fourth and last session, the Dialogue featured the following speakers: Palawan 2nd District Representative, Hon. Cyrille "Beng" Abueg-Zaldivar; Prof. Herman Kraft of the University of the Philippines, Prof. Jacinta Carroll of the Australian National University; Philippine Ambassador to Australia, H.E. Maria Hellen De La Vega; and Australian Ambassador to the Philippines, H.E. Steven Robinson AO. |
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Still fresh off the virtual press! The Foundation for the National Interest together with the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea launched a publication titled "Working Together To Secure Our Seas: A Primer on Philippine Maritime Zones," authored by seasoned diplomat, retired Ambassador Gilberto Asuque via Zoom last 29 July 2021. Grab a copy of the Primer for free, here! |
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Alliance Lessons for the Future Dr. Charmaine Misalucha-Willoughby "The recent announcement of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (AUKUS) on the formation of a new military partnership is a timely reminder that alliances continue to be an important mechanism fo security cooperation today. However, the AUKUS pact is but one in a long line of alliances since the creation of the post-Second World War," argues Dr. Misalucha-Willoughby. |
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The month of September saw the birth of an enhanced trilateral security partnership between Australia, the UK, and the US - called "AUKUS". The announcement sent shockwaves around the world and around the Indo-Pacific region, eliciting positive and negative reactions. Simultaneously, the Philippines celebrated Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANAMO) and continued the trend of fortifying its maritime sovereignty. |
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Maritime News Across the Region |
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At the top of our maritime news, the US, China, the Quad (and member states), and the AUKUS has taken center-stage as of late. Cross-Strait relations is taking a new level of diplomatic strain as China enters Taiwan's ADIZ with record number of military air assets. The US-Philippines relations are ramping up strategic cooperation across all fronts whereas China-Philippines relations is taking a back seat after Beijing's Maritime Traffic Security law amendments. |
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The Region: ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific |
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The Philippines and the US |
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The Philippines and China |
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Partnership has no influence on the contents of this newsletter and should not be attributed as the official position of FNI and its partner organizations. You received this because you signed up for updates from FNI-affiliated activities, programs, and outreach. |
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