The power of fear is apparent in how President Rodrigo Duterte has conducted his country’s foreign policy in the last three years. He has undone former President Benigno Aquino III’s geo-political agenda of challenging China’s maritime expansion in the South China Sea. His foreign policy agenda involves developing and maintaining an independent and pro-active posture so he can adroitly balance the major powers in East Asia. After he became president in 2016, he reversed his predecessor’s South China Sea policy by affecting positive improvements to Philippine-China relations through an appeasement policy. The power of fear in Philippine foreign policyThe power of fear is evident in the two administrations’ foreign policies on China.

Source: Philippine Star June 01, 2019 07:07 UTC