It is a mistake for the Duterte administration to think that it can separate its sea dispute with China from issues like trade, investment, and official development assistance, said International Studies Professor Renato Cruz De Castro, a trustee and convenor of the National Security and East Asian Affairs Program of the Stratbase ADR Institute.

After delivering his most forceful defense of the 2016 ruling on the South China Sea at the United Nations General Assembly in September, President Rodrigo R. Duterte reiterated in October that the Philippines wants to strike a government-to-government deal with China for COVID-19 vaccines.

This compartmentalizing strategy, which Mr. De Castro calls the "dual-track approach," won't work. "China doesn’t play that game," he tells BusinessWorld reporter Gillian M. Cortez. "China is a traditional big power; it will act like any big power. It will never deal with us [the Philippines] in an equitable manner."

Recorded remotely on October 14. Produced by Nina M. Diaz, Paolo L. Lopez, and Sam L. Marcelo.