World News
Why the Philippines walks a delicate balance as Asean chair
Key Points
The Philippines, as the chair of ASEAN, faces a delicate balance in navigating regional diplomacy amidst the changing global landscape. With the recent US-Israeli strike on Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route for the Philippines' crude oil imports, has become a war zone, adding complexity to the country's diplomatic agenda. The Philippines must carefully manage its relationships with regional partners while addressing the challenges posed by the evolving geopolitical situation.
When Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr accepted the Asean gavel from Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur last October, the script was already written: a packed agenda, South China Sea diplomacy in the spotlight and a regional digital economy deal to clinch. Then the world changed.
On February 28, US and Israeli forces struck Iran. The Strait of Hormuz, an artery of global shipping through which 98 per cent of the Philippines’ crude oil imports travel, became a war zone....