http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12174/17 2026-04-08T15:55:21Z http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12174/17492 India-China dynamics and PH strategic choices Dash, Sahasranshu On Aug. 3 and 4, 2025, Indian and Philippine naval ships sailed together in the South China Sea for the first time. This joint exercise—inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone—was more than a tactical drill. It was a statement: that regional powers can cooperate to uphold a rules-based order even in contested waters. Yet the significance of this event lies not only in Manila and New Delhi’s growing partnership, but in the larger strategic context that shapes India’s choices: the enduring complexity of India’s relationship with China. India-China relations in 2025 are defined by a paradox. They are deeply intertwined economically, yet strategically competitive in ways that shape the security architecture of Asia. Trade between the two nations exceeds $100 billion, but this interdependence masks persistent asymmetries and mistrust. India runs a significant trade deficit, importing Chinese components and intermediate goods while exporting raw materials and select services. 2025-09-19T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12174/17468 Why the High Seas Treaty matters Lazaro, Noel For decades, the high seas were governed by a comfortable illusion: that “freedom of the seas” was a neutral principle rather than a license for whoever had the ships, the satellites, and the patience for paperwork. That illusion has finally been interrupted. On Jan. 17, 2026, the High Seas Treaty—the United Nations Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ)—entered into force, 120 days after the 60th ratification threshold was met on Sept. 19, 2025. What used to be an environmental aspiration has become binding law for its parties. 2026-01-31T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12174/17467 Berliners have had enough of century-old swimming ban A century after the city of Berlin banned swimming in the Spree River because it was so polluted it could make people sick, there’s a push by swimmers to get back into the water. Around 200 people jumped into the slow-moving, greenish water Tuesday to show that it’s not only clean enough, but also lots of fun to splash and swim in the Mitte neighborhood along the world-famous Museum Island. 2025-06-19T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12174/17466 Carpio, lawmakers: China rule vs trespassers defies int'l law Ramos, Marlon Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, the Senate leader and other lawmakers on Saturday said China's new coast guard regulations would defy the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (Unclos) with its threats to arrest foreigners sailing into high seas of the South China Sea. "I'm calling on the Chinese government not to do this because it will be dangerous for all," Senate President Miguel Zubiri said in an interview with dwIZ radio. 2024-05-19T00:00:00Z