A group of senior journalists specializing in defense, security, and politics is visiting Asia and the Pacific as part of the 2024 Jefferson Thompson Fellowship. The program aims to deepen understanding of regional tensions, including territorial disputes in the South China Sea and China’s rising influence.

The fellowship highlights how disputes over land and sea are affecting regional security and the balance of power between China and the West. The South China Sea, a key trade route, is a hotspot for conflict, with competing territorial claims from China and nations such as the Philippines.

This week, the group is in the Philippines, engaging with government officials, defense leaders, and media experts. The Philippines faces a strategic challenge, balancing economic ties with China and defense alliances with the United States amid China’s territorial claims.

Last week, the fellowship group was in Hawaii, discussing U.S. strategies for countering China’s influence in the Pacific with defense and media experts. Next, the journalists will travel to Taiwan, a focal point in China-West tensions. In Taiwan, they will meet with officials to understand its security challenges as China asserts its claim over the island while the U.S. supports its defense and autonomy.

Vanuatu is represented in the fellowship by Stevenson Liu, a journalist with 25 years of experience. Speaking from Manila, Liu emphasized the value of the program. “These discussions have been incredibly useful, especially hearing firsthand accounts from those on the frontlines of cross-border tensions,” he said.

The fellowship provides journalists with firsthand exposure to how countries in the Pacific navigate complex relationships with China and the West, balancing economic opportunities with security concerns. Liu noted the broader implications of these tensions for global security and trade, adding that the experience equips journalists to better report on the Pacific’s geopolitical landscape.

“The goal is to gain knowledge that helps media professionals explain these issues to our audiences,” Liu said. “What happens here will shape not just this region but also global security and trade in the future.”