The Batanes Islands are the northernmost jewels of the Philippines, tiny, windswept, and breathtakingly beautiful. But geography is destiny. Just 200 kilometers from Taiwan, perched at the gateway of the Luzon Strait, these islands have transformed from a cultural treasure into a frontline chokepoint, a watchtower, and a potential tripwire in the Indo-Pacific. Their significance … Continue reading Why China Fears the Philippines’ Northern Frontier