China's Push in the South China Sea

China's Push in the South China Sea

June 23, 2026 · 38 min · Episode 127

About this episode

The episode discusses the recent dynamics in the South China Sea, focusing on China's maritime activities and the US-Philippines military partnership.

On today’s episode of the China Global Podcast, we’re going to discuss the South China Sea. The past year has been marked by four intersecting dynamics: First, a sharp escalation of Chinese Coast Guard and maritime militia operations, especially against the Philippines. Second, a resumption of large-scale Chinese island construction after nearly a decade-long pause; Third, increasingly sophisticated Chinese legal and administrative moves to consolidate and institutionalize its claims; And fourth, a deepening of the US-Philippines military partnership and the emergence of a broader network involving US allies and partners from Europe and the Indo-Pacific. To discuss these trends, I’m delighted to have as my guest today, Dr. Collin Koh, who is a senior fellow at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies based in Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

People in this episode

Guest: Dr. Collin Koh

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Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University

Places: Philippines, South China Sea, United States, Europe, Indo-Pacific

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