Event

Co-sponsored by Perry World House.

The South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea remain geopolitically fraught locations. The People’s Republic of China has successfully militarized the region despite losing the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration case against the Philippines. Under the leadership of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., Manila has reemphasized its sovereignty over the region after former President Rodrigo Duterte attempted to gain favor with Beijing by not pushing back on the issue. After many high-profile incidents of China Coast Guard vessels ramming and shooting water cannons at Philippine Coast Guard vessels throughout 2024, the two sides worked to reduce tensions to avoid a conflict. Retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio will discuss the current state of the disputes between Beijing and Manila and what the future holds for the region.

Antonio T. Carpio, a 2024-25 Visiting Fellow at Perry World House, was sworn in as member of the Supreme Court of the Philippines on October 26, 2001. He penned 935 decisions, 79 dissenting opinions, 30 concurring opinions, 13 separate opinions and 4 concurring and dissenting opinions. Justice Carpio was awarded in 1998 the Presidential Medal of Merit by then President Fidel Ramos. Justice Carpio has lectured extensively on the West Philippine Sea issue in various local and international fora. Justice Carpio is the author of The South China Sea Dispute: Philippine Sovereign Rights and Jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea.