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'They will be taken over': Warning for Philippines as dispute with China erupts
We're on a traditional fishing boat, surrounded by sparkling blue waters in one of the most contested places on Earth.
Local Filipino fisherman Joseph has taken us out to his usual fishing grounds near the coastline of Thitu Island, known in the Philippines as Pag-asa.
Sitting on the horizon in almost every direction are Chinese ships, including from the Coast Guard and the People's Liberation Army Navy.
As we're talking, a Chinese helicopter whirrs overhead on a recon flight near the island.
This paradise is on the frontline of a high-stakes contest for control over the South China Sea, through which passes one fifth of global trade.
Australia must not be distracted as China ramps up in the South China Sea
The global pressures of 2026 have created no shortage of distractions. An increasingly interventionist US administration has added to flashpoints from the Middle East to Venezuela and Greenland, consuming the attention of the media, the public and Australia’s strategic decision-makers.
Yet while attention has shifted elsewhere, China has been expanding its coercive reach across the South China Sea and intensifying maritime pressure as part of a broader strategy of regional dominance. These are the waters immediately to Australia’s north. They carry around two thirds of our trade and, as the range of modern military capabilities grows, increasingly provide a platform from which force can be projected towards Australia.
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Foreign Correspondent: Aug 11
Foreign Correspondent this week features “Collision Course” reported by Timothy Swanston, which asks, could the South China Sea become the next battleground?
The South China Sea is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes – much of what the world buys and sells passes through this single stretch of water.
The Philippines says part of the sea falls into its economic exclusion zone, but China has a very different view. And that’s led to an increasing number of confrontations at sea. On Foreign Correspondent reporter Timothy Swanston travels to the disputed territory on board a Filipino vessel and witnesses first-hand the tense interactions with the Chinese Coast Guard.
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