U.S.-Philippines Balikatan Expands; UAE Signals OPEC Exit

On April 20, the U.S., Philippines, Japan, and Australia launched expanded Balikatan exercises across the South China Sea and Taiwan strait. Manila joined Pax Silica, a safe-supply-chain initiative for AI semiconductors, and announced a new domestic chip hub. On April 28, the UAE formalized its OPEC exit, signaling strengthened energy coordination with the U.S.