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Pieces
ANALYSIS: Balikatan 2026 in five numbers
Some military exercises pass unnoticed, and then there is Balikatan. In 2026, this joint maneuver between the Philippines and the United States took on…
NOTE: Field notes on Scarborough
Ten years after the 2016 arbitral ruling, Philippine fishermen are still telling Reuters the same story: they keep getting pushed off Scarborough Shoal.
FACT CHECK: Manila sanctioned — the questions few outlets are asking
On June 11, 2026, China barred the Philippine defense minister, Gilberto Teodoro, from entering its territory, according to Al Jazeera.
PORTRAIT: China's coast guard east of Taiwan and the balance of power now in motion
Some institutions have names that sound unremarkable, yet their deployment can shift the strategic balance of an entire region.
COMMENTARY: Taiwan Strait, one week later — the tally
On average, five Chinese warplanes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait daily through May 2026, according to the Straits Times of June…
COLUMN: China's military budget is slowing — what the numbers confirm
Some numbers, on the surface, say nothing at all. And then there are numbers that, once you actually look at them, tell an entire…
EDITORIAL: China's budget slowdown — economic prudence or strategic reorientation
China set its 2026 defense budget at 1.94 trillion yuan, roughly 282 billion US dollars, according to Reuters. This figure, imposing on its face,…
INVESTIGATION: Philippine fishermen versus the Chinese coast guard, Scarborough's silent war
Ten years. That is how long it has been since the 2016 arbitral ruling favorable to the Philippines on the status of Scarborough Shoal.
REPORT: The chip war intensifies between Washington and Beijing
One move, one counter-move. That is now the rhythm defining the semiconductor war between the United States and China, a reciprocal escalation that accelerated…