China-US rivalry plays out in Palawan and Cagayan

Whether through military or economic presence, China and the US compete for greater influence over these strategically located Philippine provinces

We tend to look at superpower competition through macro lenses, watching the sweeping dynamics among countries. But what will we see if we zoom into the epic rivalry between the US and China on the ground, at street level?

A group of academics from the University of the Philippines did just that. In a pioneering study, political science professors led by Aries Arugay zeroed in on two provinces, quite distant from each other, but similar in a number of ways: Cagayan and Palawan.

Both provinces are on the frontlines of potential conflict — Cagayan faces Taiwan across the Luzon Strait, while Palawan looks out onto the West Philippine Sea. They each host two Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites. These provinces are also among those that host the annual Balikatan, a major joint US-Philippines military exercise.

In this episode, Rappler editor-at-large Marites Vitug gives us a summary of the UP study, and tells us who is winning this apparent race for influence: the US or China? – Rappler.com

Presenter, writer: Marites Vitug
Producer: JC Gotinga
Videographer: Naoki Mengua
Video editor: Emerald Hidalgo
Graphics artists: Nico Villarete, Marian Hukom
Supervising producer: Beth Frondoso