1 hour ago · Manila
‘Opportunistic’: experts weigh Manila’s minilateral agenda ahead of Trump-Xi meeting
What's happening
SignalsMonitor is following this as a security story. South China Morning Post Asia is the outlet attached so far. The reports are tied to Manila. The first report grouped here was at 23 Oct 2026, 14:00 UTC. The headline in use is “‘Opportunistic’: experts weigh Manila’s minilateral agenda ahead of Trump-Xi meeting”. This note is SignalsMonitor's own briefing, not the publisher's article.
What we know
The Philippines’ dual push for stronger “minilateral” defence links and a more robust Asean security role is dividing analysts, with one calling the move “opportunistic”. Some experts view Manila’s advocacy for the “Squad” alliance as a strategic opportunity to deepen core security partnerships while chairing the Association of Southeast Asian…
Story timeline
Reports grouped into this story, earliest first. Exact repeats from the same outlet are collapsed.
- First reported by South China Morning Post Asia
‘Opportunistic’: experts weigh Manila’s minilateral agenda ahead of Trump-Xi meeting
Reported by 1 outlet
- South China Morning Post
- South China Morning Post‘Opportunistic’: experts weigh Manila’s minilateral agenda ahead of Trump-Xi meeting