A Filipino soldier patrols on a beach on Thitu Island, which the Philippines calls Pag-asa, in the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, in May 2015. Photo: Reuters A Filipino soldier patrols on a beach on Thitu Island, which the Philippines calls Pag-asa, in the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, in May 2015. Photo: Reuters
A Filipino soldier patrols on a beach on Thitu Island, which the Philippines calls Pag-asa, in the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, in May 2015. Photo: Reuters
Lucio Blanco Pitlo III
Opinion

Opinion

Lucio Blanco Pitlo III

In the South China Sea, Chinese fishing vessels around Thitu Island might net more than they bargained for

  • More than 200 Chinese vessels surrounding a Philippine-occupied island may prompt a backlash against genuine fishing boats
  • Their presence may also push the Philippines, which has been edging closer to China, back into a tighter alliance with the US

Lucio Blanco Pitlo III
Lucio Blanco Pitlo III

Updated: 3:05am, 25 Apr, 2019

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A Filipino soldier patrols on a beach on Thitu Island, which the Philippines calls Pag-asa, in the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, in May 2015. Photo: Reuters A Filipino soldier patrols on a beach on Thitu Island, which the Philippines calls Pag-asa, in the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, in May 2015. Photo: Reuters
A Filipino soldier patrols on a beach on Thitu Island, which the Philippines calls Pag-asa, in the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, in May 2015. Photo: Reuters
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Lucio Blanco Pitlo III

Lucio Blanco Pitlo III

Lucio Blanco Pitlo III is a research fellow at the Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation, fellow at the University of the Philippines Korea Research Centre, lecturer at the Chinese Studies Programme at Ateneo de Manila University, and contributing editor (Reviews) for the Asian Politics & Policy Journal.