The South China Sea continues to act as a lightning rod for competing claims among regional powers. In the second of a three-part series, Fan Chen and Laura Zhou examine how frayed China-Philippines relations might create a ‘challenging context’ for Manila’s aims to finalise an effective and legally binding code. Read the first part of the series here.
The Philippine push to seal a legally binding code of conduct in the South China Sea is more symbolic than achievable because of the deep-seated…