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Maria Theresa Lazaro

Maria Theresa Lazaro
The latest news and top stories on Maria Theresa Lazaro, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines since 1 July 2025. She has a background in foreign service, previously serving as Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs, and as Ambassador to France, Monaco, and Switzerland.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro (left) shakes hands with Chile’s Foreign Affairs Minister Francisco Perez Mackenna during a meeting on the sidelines of an Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Metro Manila last month. Photo: EPA
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro (left) and Chile’s Foreign Affairs Minister Francisco Perez Mackenna talk during a meeting in Metro Manila last month. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

Philippines stakes claim as Latin America’s gateway to Asean

Shared history offers an edge, but analysts say the Philippines must deliver more than nostalgia to rival Singapore or Vietnam.

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Myanmar

UN atrocity report adds friction to Myanmar junta’s push for legitimacy

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Myanmar

Myanmar rebuffs Asean call to free Aung San Suu Kyi

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South China Sea

PLA and coastguards hold South China Sea drills days after Philippine seabed bid

Supersonic anti-ship missiles deployed during exercises near disputed Scarborough Shoal seen as ‘powerful deterrent against provocations’.

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Scarborough Shoal is one of the main flashpoints between China and the Philippines. Photo: Xinhua
Coastguard ships pictured during the exercise. Photo: The Paper
South China Sea

Opinion | How China and the Philippines can avert clashes over a crumbling ship

Amid fresh clashes over the rusting BRP Sierra Madre, both sides accuse each other of infringing their 2024 agreement. But what did they actually agree to?

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South China Sea

‘Negotiation fatigue’ risks stalling South China Sea code of conduct progress

Efforts to finalise the code between Asean and China this year are hampered to a large extent by differences between Manila and Beijing.

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The Philippines

EU’s US$17 million maritime aid for Manila targets ‘fault lines’

Analysts say the European Union considers Manila ‘the most important’ partner for its Indo-Pacific strategy.

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Philippines Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro (left) and EU European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas pose for photos after signing the Enhanced Partnership between the Philippines and the European Union on the sidelines of the Asean foreign ministers’ meeting in Pasay City, on Friday. Photo: EPA
Philippines Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro (left) and EU European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas sign the Enhanced Partnership between the Philippines and the European Union on the sidelines of the Asean foreign ministers’ meeting in Pasay City on Friday. Photo: EPA
China-Asean relations

China and Asean eye closer energy cooperation after latest Middle East fighting

Southeast Asia is heavily reliant on oil imports and has been severely affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

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South China Sea

Beijing and Manila trade blame on second day of Scarborough Shoal clashes

Chinese coastguard use water cannon during maritime stand-off, the third with the Philippines in the South China Sea since Monday.

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The Philippines

What does New Zealand bring to the Philippines’ security network?

The upgrade to a comprehensive partnership gives both countries a wider framework to deepen cooperation, analysts say.

Philippines Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro and her New Zealand counterpart Winston Peters on the sidelines of the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Tuesday in Pasay, Metro Manila. Photo: Pool via AP
South China Sea

China, Philippines clash again at Scarborough Shoal, a day after Wang Yi warning

Coastguard encounter follows warning to Manila counterpart of ‘bitter consequences’ if it enlists outside backing in dispute.

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Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro meets her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Asean meeting in Manila on Wednesday, the day before the latest encounter in the South China Sea. Photo: EPA
South China Sea

Beijing, Manila should avoid South China Sea ‘miscalculation’: top diplomats

Foreign ministers meet on margins of Asean event in Manila, days after fresh sea clash and outrage over video mocking 2016 arbitral ruling.

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Myanmar

Aung San Suu Kyi will be looked after, Myanmar envoy tells Asean

Suu Kyi is serving a 27-year sentence, ⁠recently commuted by one-third, on a series of charges that her allies said were fabricated to keep her out ‌of politics.

The Philippines

Russia frees 24 Filipinos after Marcos speaks with Putin

The Philippine leader raised the issue with the Russian president during their meeting on the sidelines of a summit in Kazan.

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hilippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazan, Russia, on Wednesday. Photo: Sputnik via AP
Asean

As Putin courts Southeast Asia, does ‘Russia need Asean more’?

Southeast Asia needs energy. Russia needs friends. Next week’s summit in Kazan could offer opportunities for both sides.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a virtual Asean meeting via videoconference in 2021. Photo: Sputnik/ Kremlin/AP
The Philippines

Philippines’ UN defeat: a result of domestic ‘political circus’, close ties with US?

Kyrgyzstan won a seat on the UN Security Council due to perceptions of its neutrality and Central Asia’s under-representation, analysts say.

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The Philippines

Can Philippines become critical minerals powerhouse with help from US, Japan?

To curb China’s dominance in the sector, Manila has to cut red tape and fight corruption to draw US and Japanese investors.

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The Philippines

‘Matter of survival’: Philippines seeks safe Hormuz passage for vessels

Philippine and Iranian officials met on Wednesday to discuss ‘key avenues for cooperation’, amid Tehran’s blockade of the strait.

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Oil tankers and ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, on March 11. Photo: AP
The Philippines

‘Deliberate signal’: Philippines elevates officer amid South China Sea tensions

Analysts say Marcos is doubling down on the country’s ‘transparency initiative’ while engaging Beijing diplomatically behind closed doors.

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South China Sea

South China Sea expert warns 2026 code of conduct is ‘simply not achievable’

The agreement ‘cannot be successfully negotiated’ while rival claimant Philippines holds Asean chair, Chinese analyst Wu Shicun says.

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Asean

Asian Angle | How Asean can resolve its Myanmar dilemma post-election

Asean should not discard the Five-Point Consensus, but translate it into a politically astute strategy of conditional engagement.

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Vote counting takes place on January 25 in Yangon for Myanmar’s general election. Photo: Kyodo
The Philippines

Leaked letter spotlights Philippines’ South China Sea tug of war

The letter by Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro warns against public exchanges that could narrow the country’s ‘diplomatic space’.

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A Philippine coastguard vessel sails in disputed waters of the South China Sea during a maritime drill. Photo: EPA-EFE
Asean

How far can Asean engage Myanmar without legitimising military rule?

The bloc’s foreign ministers meet in Cebu amid concerns that diplomacy could slide into tacit acceptance of military rule.

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Asean

Asean urged to rethink stance as Myanmar election risks normalising junta rule

The bloc should encourage Indonesia’s approach of engaging key stakeholders in efforts to resolve the Myanmar crisis, observers say.

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The Philippines

New deal eases logistics for Japan-Philippines drills amid China tensions

The agreement removes taxes on military supplies, including weapons and fuel used in joint exercises.

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A Japanese naval ship docks at the Manila Port, Philippines, last year. Photo: EPA-EFE
The Philippines

Philippines ‘comfort women’ demand apology during Japan foreign minister visit

Analysts say Manila is unlikely to back the surviving victims of sex slavery, fearing it could jeopardise billions in infrastructure funding.

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Protesters display placards and portraits of former Filipino “comfort women” during a rally in Manila last year. Photo: AFP
Myanmar

Philippine minister’s ‘premature’ Myanmar visit casts doubts over Asean’s role

Critics say the visit may be viewed as the bloc’s new chair endorsing a controversial junta-led election in Myanmar.

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Japan

Japan’s top diplomat heads to Philippines with South China Sea top of mind

The talks are likely to focus on Manila’s push for a South China Sea code with ‘teeth’ as this year’s Asean chair, analysts say.

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