U.S. Institute of Peace

07/31/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/31/2024 14:11

Andrew Scobell on the China-Philippines Agreement in South China Sea

China and the Philippines recently struck a secretive deal to deescalate confrontations over the Second Thomas Shoal, "one of the tensest flashpoints in the western Pacific," says USIP's Andrew Scobell. "Nobody wants to see it escalate to war," but the "the ambiguity [of the deal] … allows both sides to claim victory."