In South China Sea, Philippines is stuck between a pebble and a hard place

As Philippine and Chinese diplomats seek to strengthen their relationship and describe the disagreement over the South China Sea as a “little pebble” in the road to closer participation, a survey has highlighted how this view is not shared by many Filipinos, whose trust in China has decreased as the territorial dispute drags on. On July 22, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jnr described the South China Sea as an “avenue of cooperation” between China and the Philippines. “An avenue…