The South China Sea Dispute is one of the most complex and enduring sovereignty conflicts in modern geopolitics, involving multiple Southeast and East Asian nations, as well as external powers like the United States. The dispute centers on competing claims over maritime boundaries, resource-rich geographic features, and access to vital fisheries, hydrocarbon reserves, and shipping channels. Among these regional players, the Republic of the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China stand out for their particularly contentious relationship, marked by frequent confrontations and aggression over overlapping sovereignty claims that have yet to be resolved. This thesis examines the Sino-Philippine dimension of the South China Sea conflict, focusing on historical context, legal frameworks, and geopolitical strategies. It explores China’s expansive claims under its nine-dash line policy and reliance on historical rights in contrast to Philippine reliance on international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 arbitral ruling in its favor. The study incorporates comparative case analyses of Vietnam and Malaysia to inform policy recommendations focusing on the Vietnamese strategy of self-reliance anchored in the “Four Nos” doctrine and Malaysian three-prong approach. This thesis proposes frameworks for Philippine action that prioritize fostering independent development, reinforcing physical and legal resilience, and strategically deepening multilateral alliances. These strategies collectively aim to secure Philippine claims, stabilize South China Sea activity, and advance equitable conflict resolution grounded in international law.

Populist radical right parties (PRRPs) have transformed from marginal to mainstream players in European politics. As PRRPs continue to grow in popularity and secure political representation at the national and European levels, they can exert greater influence over the direction of foreign policy. This thesis explores the foreign policy positions of far-right parties toward the People’s Republic of China (PRC). EU-China relations have become increasingly politically salient and contentious in recent years. Intensifying US-China hostilities and efforts by the PRC to strengthen its political and economic influence in Europe have forced European leaders to formulate coherent policy responses to China.

This paper analyzes far-right party discourse on a range of China-related issues and finds considerable heterogeneity in policy positions both within and across far-right parties. It finds that PRRP positions on Chinese trade are determined by country-specific economic conditions, including the intensity of Chinese import shocks and whether party leaders perceive economic relations with the PRC as beneficial or detrimental to national interests. On non-economic issues, including human rights, Taiwan, and China’s partnership with Russia, PRRP positions appear to be mediated by their attitudes toward America and transatlantic partnership.

The findings problematize the understanding of radical right parties as predictably inward-looking and uniform in their international agendas, instead indicating a more complex and nuanced approach by PRRPs to foreign policy. While these parties are often depicted as inherently isolationist and myopic, the heterogeneity in positions across parties and China-related policy areas demonstrates the different strategic and ideological calculations that PRRPs consider as they formulate their foreign policies.