Highlights of the 2025 Manila Dialogue on South China Sea
Washington DC – On November 20, USPHS Senior Advisor Brian Harding and Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) adjunct fellow Hunter Marston spoke at an event hosted by the US-Philippines Society in partnership with the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) on the outcomes of the November 5–7 Manila Dialogue on the South China Sea. This was the second annual Manila Dialogue, which has rapidly become one of Asia’s premier regional security conferences, drawing more than 200 high-ranking officials and non-government thought leaders from dozens of countries. The event was organized by the newly formed We Protect our Seas, with strong support from the Philippine government, in particular the National Security Council and Coast Guard. Notably, Brian and Hunter were the only Washington, DC–based participants this year, with Brian also speaking on an invitation-only, closed-door panel on misinformation and influence.
Key themes included the opportunity the Dialogue provides for the Philippines to shape international discourse on the South China Sea; the growing impact of the Philippines’ transparency strategy in strengthening new security partnerships, reflected in strong participation from Europe, Canada, Australia, and others; the widening gap between Chinese and Filipino perspectives, underscored by remarks from Chinese participants; and the clear differences in approaches to the South China Sea disputes between the Philippines and several ASEAN counterparts, particularly Malaysia.
The November 18 forum at CSIS drew experts from private industry, think tanks, the U.S. Government (State Department and the Development Finance Corporation), and the Embassy of the Philippines.
Moderator Harrison Prétat, Deputy Director and Fellow, AMTI
Bill Campbell (I Squared), Capt. James Lugtu (Philippine Embassy) and USPHS Director Hilda Gigioli (Roccomar)
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