Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far
and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

Professor Aileen Baviera Examines ‘Post-Arbitration Challenges for the Duterte Administration’ in ANU Conference

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Professor Aileen Baviera (2nd from right) with fellow participants at the Philippine Update Conference at the Australian National University. Photo by Aileen Baviera.

Professor Aileen Baviera of the UP Asian Center presented a paper, “Exploring Post-arbitration Challenges for the Duterte Administration” at the Philippine Update Conference 2016: Sustaining the Momentum for Change Beyond 2016, which was held from 2 to 3 September 2016, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.

Her paper attempts to “examine the debates in the Philippines over how to respond to China’s actions in the South China Sea, particularly following the issuance of a ruling by the arbitration panel organized since 2013 to hear Manila’s complaints against what is perceived essentially as Beijing’s abuse of maritime rights. While economic stakeholders are hopeful about Chinese investment and assistance prospects, the legal community expects implementation and compliance with the major decisions of the panel. Then there are state actors concerned about the geopolitical and geostrategic implications, and others who look more generally at the country’s role in regional diplomacy. She explores how the Duterte government, given its more pragmatic outlook towards China, can try to harmonize these competing expectations and concerns to craft a policy and strategy that continues to be principled and based on strategic national interests.”  

Dr. Baviera presented her paper as part of Plenary Session 3 entitled “Philippines In the Region.” The Philippine Update Conference 2016 aims to bring together academics, government officials and other experts to “take stock of political, economic and social developments of the previous administration and the prospects under the new government of Rodrigo Duterte.”

The conference is organized by Philippines Project, a joint initiative between the College of Asia and the Pacific and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; in cooperation with other organizations. Learn more about the conference and view the program.

Dr. Aileen SP. Baviera is Professor at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman. She specializes on and writes about contemporary China studies, China-Southeast Asia relations, Asia-Pacific security, territorial and maritime disputes, and regional integration. The editor in chief of the journal, "Asian Politics & Policy," she is the author of many academic publications, including the "The Domestic Mediations of China's Influence in the Philippines," which appears in Rising China's Influence in Developing Asia, edited by Evelyn Goh and published by Oxford University Press. She completed her Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of the Philippines Diliman. VIEW FULL PROFILE.

The UP Asian Center offers M.A. programs in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. Get an overview of these programs. The Asian Center also houses a peer-reviewed, open-access journal, Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia. It has published several books and monographs, and hosts or organizes various lectures and conferences.