Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand 
why the old poets of China went so far
and high 
into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

The UP Asian Center and the Center for People Empowerment in Governance will hold a public lecture, VFA Termination: New Strategic Moves? by Ericson Baculinao, on 2 March 2020, 2 pm–4 pm, 2F, Seminar Room, UP Asian Center, Diliman, Quezon City. The lecture is free and open to the public; seating is first-come, first-served; walk-ins are welcome, but participants are encouraged to sign up.

SIGN UP: YES, I WILL ATTEND!

Abstract

President Duterte’s termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) signals new strategic possibilities. It lessens U.S. ability to dictate on Philippine foreign policy; enhances overall cooperation with China leading to possible solutions to the South China Sea disputes; and widens space for the country’s initiatives for a more independent foreign policy.

The Speaker

Mr. Ericson Baculinao is the long-time, award-winning Beijing bureau chief of NBC News U.S. television. He has lived and worked in China for the past 48 years.

For inquiries, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.


The Asian Center offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. For an overview of these graduate programs, click here. The Asian Center also publishes Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, the latest issue of which can be downloaded at the journal's website. For other news and upcoming events at the Asian Center, click here.