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

Watch: Professor Baviera’s Lecture on “Geopolitical Quandaries in the South China Sea” at Yale University

Video: Professor Baviera delivering her presentation at Yale University. Uploaded and courtesy of Yale University's YouTube Channel. 

Professor Aileen Baviera of the UP Asian Center delivered a presentation, “The Geopolitical Quandaries in the South China Sea: Implications for the Philippines, China and the US” at an international workshop on the South China Sea held from 6 to 7 May 2016 at Yale University. Below is the abstract of her presentation:

“Chinese assertiveness and US rebalance are both driven by geopolitical interests: U.S. military preponderance vs. China’s demand for strategic space; access to and control over trade and energy supply routes; and the desire for influence over the shaping of regional order and security architecture. The Philippines, on the other hand, seeks access to resources, security against external threat, and a rules‐based order to guarantee both. All three parties now face quandaries in the management of relations and how to promote their respective interests. The United States needs to defend its primacy with less resources at hand. It has to balance between sustaining the credibility of its system of alliances and at the same time avoid unwanted entanglements. Moreover, China is not just an emerging peer competitor but on certain important issues a valued partner as well. China has its own quandaries. It is clearly a dissatisfied power but one that is not ready, capability‐wise, to confront the US. The Xi Jinping government’s ambitious vision – the “China dream” will have to be attained amidst economic slowdown as well as rising distrust of China’s intentions among its immediate neighbors. Currently, China’s neighborhood policy, particularly with reference to the South China Sea, is full of contradictions. On the other hand, the Philippines is caught in a bind on whether to be guided by principlism or pragmatism in its approach towards China’s more muscular behavior in the South China Sea. It has to rely on a military alliance with the US, whose credibility is doubted in key policy circles. The Philippines has staked its claim to marine resources at apparent great political cost, knowing full well that the solutions may be beyond reach without making even more compromises. For the Philippines, the brewing rivalry between major powers threatens to overlay its other goals and concerns, raising questions about whether its core interests will ultimately be served.”

Titled “Conflict in the South China Sea”, the workshop aims to explore “the history of the ongoing dispute in the South China Sea, featuring speakers from universities and research institutions in Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, the Philippines, and across the United States.” Visit the Council on Southeast Asian Studies, Yale University’s website to view the program, the complete list of speakers, and the abstracts of their respective presentations.

The international workshop was hosted by the Council on Southeast Asian Studies, Yale University in partnership with the Council on East Asian Studies, The Macmillan Center, Yale University; and the Institute for Vietnamese Culture and Education (IVCE), New York.

Professor Baviera will be delivering a lecture, "Domestic Stakeholders in Philippine Maritime Disputes: Impact and Influence on Foreign Policy" on 3 June 2016, 9 am to 12 noon at the UP Asian Center. View the abstract and sign up. 

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 will appear 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. degrees 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.