https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/525549/feed Mengzhen Liu is an assistant research fellow at the Huayang Centre for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance based in China. Her research interests include Chinese foreign policy, US-China relations and Southeast Asian politics. She holds an MA degree in Asian studies from Georgetown University. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Mengzhen Liu,Ziya Guo Mengzhen Liu,Ziya Guo Manila sent two strikingly different messages to Beijing on October 13. At the Malacanang Palace, a presidential spokeswoman reaffirmed Manila’s commitment to sustaining diplomatic and economic ties with China, saying “China needs the Philippines, and the Philippines needs China”. That same day, Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr rejected a call for military-to-military communication with China, a move that received public support from the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Teodoro... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3372147/manila-speaks-2-voices-china https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3372147/manila-speaks-2-voices-china Wed, 28 Oct 2026 01:30:07 +0000 Mengzhen Liu Mengzhen Liu The decades-long negotiations on a code of conduct in the South China Sea may finally come to an end this year. Several parties involved, including China and the Philippines, have expressed confidence in reaching a final conclusion to the proposed set of rules in the contested waterways in the coming months. In March, Beijing signalled its hope of concluding negotiations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations by the end of the year while Manila has repeatedly expressed its intention to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3349697/without-restraint-beijing-and-manila-cant-deliver-south-china-sea-code https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3349697/without-restraint-beijing-and-manila-cant-deliver-south-china-sea-code Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:30:10 +0000