Bloomberg TV Philippines invited Dr Aileen Baviera for a brief interview on First Up, its morning news program last February 4. She was asked for her reactions to recent confrontations between China and the U.S. in the South China Sea, particularly following China’s island construction and militarization of its occupied features, and the U.S. position that it would continue to engage in “freedom of navigation operations” (FONOPS) in the area. Asked whether there was a real risk of armed conflict between the two powers, she replied that she thought there was a lot of posturing and signalling going on between the two sides but that a deliberate instigation was not likely to happen because confrontation would be quite costly for both, especially that they had just raised the stakes. The greater risk would arise from a miscalculation or over-reaction by either side.
Dr. Baviera also granted an interview to the Hong Kong Economic Journal (HKEJ) last February 16. HKEJ introduces itself as “one of the leading newspapers in Hong Kong, targeting on business elites and middle class.” They publish a weekend special supplement called "EJ Global plus" to discuss international politics or a particular issue around the world. The interview centered on US-ASEAN-China relations and was held via Skype following the conclusion of the U.S.-ASEAN Summit at Sunnylands. For the complete report (in Chinese), click here.