https://www.scmp.com/rss/522939/feed 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. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Manila is following its Southeast Asian neighbours’ lead by seeking talks with Iran to secure safe passage for Philippine-bound tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, a move observers have called “a matter of survival”. Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro posted on social media that she and energy secretary Sharon Garin had met Iran’s envoy Yousef Esmaeilzadeh on Wednesday to discuss energy cooperation and the advancement of bilateral ties. “Pleased to meet Iranian Ambassador to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3348701/philippines-seeks-iran-talks-safe-passage-vessels-through-hormuz-amid-energy-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3348701/philippines-seeks-iran-talks-safe-passage-vessels-through-hormuz-amid-energy-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:55:31 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s decision to promote coastguard officer Jay Tarriela – despite Beijing’s calls for him to be sanctioned – is being read by analysts as a calibrated signal of how the Philippines intends to manage its maritime dispute with China. Rather than a routine personnel move, they say, the elevation of one of the government’s most outspoken maritime voices suggests Marcos is doubling down on a strategy that pairs public exposure of Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345174/philippines-promotes-coastguard-officer-deliberate-signal-south-china-sea-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345174/philippines-promotes-coastguard-officer-deliberate-signal-south-china-sea-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 13:17:04 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen A veteran South China Sea expert has cast doubt on the prospects of finalising a code of conduct for the contested waters this year, even as ties between rival claimants Beijing and Manila show signs of improvement. Wu Shicun, founding president of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said it was “100 per cent not likely” that the document would be signed this year as the Philippines takes over the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). “I believe it... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345137/south-china-sea-expert-warns-2026-code-conduct-simply-not-achievable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345137/south-china-sea-expert-warns-2026-code-conduct-simply-not-achievable?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 11:00:14 +0000 Sharon Seah Sharon Seah Derided by most international observers and the Myanmar diaspora as a sham, the recently concluded three-phase elections in Myanmar have entrenched military rule under a new constitutional government. For Asean, the outcome throws into sharp relief an increasingly uncomfortable question: should it continue to marginalise the intransigent junta until it complies with the bloc’s Five-Point Consensus (5PC), or find a way to re-engage without betraying the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ own... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3343518/how-asean-can-resolve-its-myanmar-dilemma-post-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3343518/how-asean-can-resolve-its-myanmar-dilemma-post-election?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 04:30:18 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles A leaked letter from the Philippines’ foreign secretary has exposed a fault line in the country over how to publicly confront Beijing in the South China Sea, days before the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) created its own maritime spokesman role. The new position was in addition to existing voices from the Philippine coastguard, armed forces and the National Maritime Council. The episode has cast a spotlight on a delicate balancing act in President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s China policy:... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343226/leaked-letter-exposes-fault-lines-philippines-south-china-sea-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343226/leaked-letter-exposes-fault-lines-philippines-south-china-sea-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 13:55:45 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran As foreign ministers from Asean member states gathered in the Philippine city of Cebu this week, the bloc faced a familiar dilemma: how to keep pushing for peace in Myanmar without sliding into what critics warn could become “de facto acceptance” of its military regime. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held on Wednesday and Thursday, is the first major gathering hosted by the Philippines since it assumed the bloc’s chairship this year. Much of its... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341678/asean-cautioned-against-legitimising-myanmar-junta-ministers-meet-peace-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341678/asean-cautioned-against-legitimising-myanmar-junta-ministers-meet-peace-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:33:17 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow With Myanmar in the throes of an election widely expected to return its military junta to power, calls have renewed for Asean to rethink its approach of not engaging the regime. The region, observers warn, should also brace itself for the “very real possibility” that half of Southeast Asia might eventually recognise the results of Myanmar’s election and by extension the ruling junta. On Sunday, Myanmar began its second round of voting in the country’s first general election since the military... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340024/asean-urged-rethink-stance-myanmar-election-risks-normalising-junta-rule?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340024/asean-urged-rethink-stance-myanmar-election-risks-normalising-junta-rule?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 10:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Japan and the Philippines signed a defence pact on Thursday that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with Beijing, which was angered by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that potential mainland Chinese action against... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339959/japan-philippines-tighten-ties-new-defence-pact-amid-china-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339959/japan-philippines-tighten-ties-new-defence-pact-amid-china-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 04:46:25 +0000 Jeoffrey Maitem Jeoffrey Maitem An advocacy group representing Filipino victims of wartime sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers will renew its decades-old demand for a formal state apology and reparations as Japan’s foreign minister visits the Philippines this week. The group, Lila Pilipina (League of Filipino Grandmothers), said it plans to press its appeal during the visit of Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who is set to arrive on Thursday. “We demand a formal public apology and reparation based on the apology,” said... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3339848/philippines-comfort-women-demand-apology-during-japan-foreign-minister-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3339848/philippines-comfort-women-demand-apology-during-japan-foreign-minister-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 09:30:13 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran A visit by the Philippines’ foreign minister to Myanmar has raised concerns over how Asean will be perceived under Manila’s chairmanship this year, with critics arguing it risks appearing as tacit support for the junta amid an election widely condemned as a sham. Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro met Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and other junta leaders in Naypyidaw on January 6 in her capacity as special envoy from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ 2026 chair, according to official... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339844/philippine-ministers-premature-myanmar-visit-casts-doubts-over-aseans-role?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339844/philippine-ministers-premature-myanmar-visit-casts-doubts-over-aseans-role?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 08:02:59 +0000 Jeoffrey Maitem Jeoffrey Maitem Japan’s top diplomat is heading to the Philippines this week for talks expected to focus on maritime tensions in the South China Sea and Tokyo’s strategic role in the region. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi’s stop in Manila on Thursday is part of a nine-day diplomatic tour of the Middle East and Asia that began last Saturday, with stops in Israel, the Palestinian territories, Qatar and India. His talks with Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro are expected to review... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339547/japans-top-diplomat-heads-philippines-south-china-sea-top-mind?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339547/japans-top-diplomat-heads-philippines-south-china-sea-top-mind?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 09:00:10 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The Philippine government is weighing whether a United Nations anti-corruption treaty can help track down and extradite a former lawmaker accused of being one of the masterminds behind the billion-peso flood control scandal and believed to be hiding overseas. Presidential press officer and undersecretary Claire Castro said Manila was studying a proposal by Senator Panfilo Lacson to tap the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) to help locate and extradite former congressman Zaldy Co. Co, who... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3336671/philippines-weighs-using-un-anti-corruption-treaty-zaldy-cos-extradition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3336671/philippines-weighs-using-un-anti-corruption-treaty-zaldy-cos-extradition?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 13:04:32 +0000 Laura Zhou,Fan Chen Laura Zhou,Fan Chen China is willing to work with Southeast Asian countries to manage maritime disputes in the South China Sea and build a fair and just maritime order, a senior Chinese diplomat has said. Speaking in Sanya on the southern island province of Hainan, Sun Weidong, the vice-minister of foreign affairs, also hit out at the recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who suggested last month that an attack on Taiwan by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) might qualify as a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335903/south-china-sea-beijing-says-it-seeks-ease-disputes-asean-over-waterway?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335903/south-china-sea-beijing-says-it-seeks-ease-disputes-asean-over-waterway?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 10:03:12 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow The Myanmar junta’s highly publicised crackdown on cyberfraud hubs near its borders is less a law enforcement statement than a calculated performance, analysts say, aimed at placating China and shoring up credibility ahead of an election widely seen as illegitimate. Observers said the operation reflected the military’s need to project control in the face of domestic insurgency and foreign pressure, particularly from Beijing, whose citizens have been both victims and conscripts in the sprawling... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334375/myanmars-cyberscam-crackdown-just-pre-poll-law-and-order-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334375/myanmars-cyberscam-crackdown-just-pre-poll-law-and-order-show?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 11:00:20 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran As the Philippines prepares to take over the rotating Asean chairmanship next year, Manila faces the daunting task of managing a protracted civil war in Myanmar while pushing for progress on a long-delayed code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea. Analysts say Manila must navigate an Asean agenda crowded with difficult trade-offs, balancing the crisis in Myanmar where progress is expected to remain incremental with a COC process facing a 2026 deadline, even as internal divisions within the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333997/can-philippines-manage-aseans-myanmar-crisis-while-advancing-south-china-sea-code?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333997/can-philippines-manage-aseans-myanmar-crisis-while-advancing-south-china-sea-code?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 02:00:14 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran As it prepares to assume the Asean chairmanship, the Philippines’ courting of the bloc’s newest member, East Timor, signals its intent to secure a new ally in promoting maritime security among the 11-strong grouping of nations. But analysts suggest the budding partnership is more symbolic than strategic, with the Philippines playing more of a mentor role to the newcomer. On the sidelines of a meeting of defence chiefs following the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Kuala Lumpur on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3332130/philippines-charts-new-course-asean-courting-east-timor-south-china-sea-ally?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3332130/philippines-charts-new-course-asean-courting-east-timor-south-china-sea-ally?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 01:29:04 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran With East Timor’s entry into Asean as its 11th member, the youngest country in the region may become a key partner and new ally for the Philippines as Manila gears up to lead the bloc as chair in 2026. Before Sunday’s accession ceremony at the 47th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Kuala Lumpur, East Timor and the Philippines have taken steps to deepen bilateral ties for years, including a three-day visit of Dili’s Foreign Affairs Minister Bendito Dos Santos Freitas to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330463/could-east-timor-be-new-ally-philippines-manila-prepares-chair-asean-2026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330463/could-east-timor-be-new-ally-philippines-manila-prepares-chair-asean-2026?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Oct 2025 08:41:52 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Manila and Beijing are working on a coastguard cooperation pact as part of efforts to manage recurring flashpoints in the disputed South China Sea, but observers say the step may not be enough to prevent conflict or build lasting trust. Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro told the Senate on Tuesday last week that the proposed plan aimed to “reach a conclusion … an MOU for them [coastguards] on certain issues that involve both sides”. Lazaro said she hoped that the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329567/philippines-beijing-eye-coastguard-deal-calm-south-china-sea-tensions-will-it-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329567/philippines-beijing-eye-coastguard-deal-calm-south-china-sea-tensions-will-it-work?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Oct 2025 00:00:13 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Beijing and Manila struck a rare conciliatory tone on Thursday, downplaying tensions in the disputed South China Sea during a farewell meeting between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and outgoing Chinese envoy Huang Xilian. The South China Sea issues “are not the sum total” of relations between the two neighbours, Marcos told Huang, according to a statement from the Philippine leader’s communications office. “Let us not allow these differences to define our relationship,” Marcos said,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326945/south-china-sea-tensions-downplayed-manila-warmly-farewells-beijing-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326945/south-china-sea-tensions-downplayed-manila-warmly-farewells-beijing-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 05:41:55 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles When US officials met their Philippine counterparts in Kuala Lumpur this month to discuss critical minerals, few outside industry circles realised the quiet significance of the conversation: a new front in the global contest over resources essential to modern technology and national security. Now, a potential rare earths deal between the United States and the Philippines has drawn attention to the largely overlooked abundance of these strategic resources in the Southeast Asian nation – and to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3320113/us-eyes-philippine-rare-earths-counter-chinas-chokehold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3320113/us-eyes-philippine-rare-earths-counter-chinas-chokehold?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jul 2025 08:00:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump will host his Philippine counterpart in the White House this month to discuss how the long-time treaty allies can further deepen their security and economic engagements, Philippine officials said on Friday. President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr will visit the United States from July 20 to 22, but Philippine officials were still finalising details of his meeting with Trump with the US State Department, the Philippine government said. The allies have boosted mutual defence... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3317919/us-trump-host-philippines-marcos-jnr-discuss-asia-trade-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3317919/us-trump-host-philippines-marcos-jnr-discuss-asia-trade-security?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Jul 2025 11:52:20 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela The Philippine foreign ministry has summoned the Chinese ambassador Huang Xilian after Beijing hit the former Senate majority leader with a travel ban for his stance on the South China Sea. Francis Tolentino, a key ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, has been barred from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, according to a statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry last week. Beijing said the ban was the result of his “egregious conduct on China-related issues”. During a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317423/philippines-summons-chinese-ambassador-over-travel-ban-former-senator?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317423/philippines-summons-chinese-ambassador-over-travel-ban-former-senator?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jul 2025 11:13:08 +0000