The South China Sea disputes play out both at sea and in the stories people hear about them. Journalists face the challenge of handling sensitive (and most often restricted) information, navigating competing political narratives, and bringing the experiences of coastal communities into public view. What does it take to report independently on an issue so closely tied to national identity and security?
Guest: Christian Esguerra, (Political journalist, host the political podcast Facts First).
Recorded 29th September, 2026.
13 Oct 2026
Tibet and Identity
China’s new Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress is presented by Beijing as a policy of development and equality. For Tibetans, it represents something very different.
In this episode, , joins host Dr Ruth Gamble to discuss what the law means in practice for Tibetan language, culture, and religious life — and why those things matter so much to understanding the Tibetan situation.
Dr Densal also discusses his research on the communities living along the disputed India-China border, the contested question of reincarnated Buddhist leaders, and what people outside the region most often misunderstand about Tibet.
Guest:
Dr Tenzin Densal (Senior Research Fellow, Tibet Policy Institute and Editor-in-Chief of the Tibet Policy Journal)
Host:
Dr Ruth Gamble (Director, La Trobe Asia)
Recorded 18th September, 2026
6 Oct 2026
On the Frontlines of the South China Sea
The waters of the South China Sea - including areas the Philippines refers to as the West Philippine Sea - are at the centre of some of the Indo-Pacific’s most important maritime disputes. These waters bring together competing territorial and maritime claims, strategic interests, and the rights and interests of coastal states. They are also vital to fishing communities and populations whose livelihoods and security depend on access to the sea.
How maritime rights, jurisdiction, and access are interpreted and managed has implications for regional stability and international law. The future of freedom of navigation, the peaceful resolution of disputes, who has access to resources, and the ability of states to manage differences without coercion are questions with significance well beyond the South China Sea.
What does the situation in the West Philippine Sea reveal about the resilience of international law? How are regional states responding to the pressures of great-power competition while advancing and protecting their maritime rights? And what are the human dimensions of these disputes: for fishing communities, coast guard personnel, and coastal populations whose lives are shaped by what happens in these waters?
A La Trobe Centre for Global Security event in association with Australians for Philippine Human Rights Network
Panel:
Rear Admiral Jay Tristan Tarriela (spokesperson, Philippine Coast Guard on West Philippine Sea issues)
Christian Esguerra (political journalist and educator)
Dr Lupita Wijaya (Research Fellow, La Trobe Centre for Global Security)
Professor Bec Strating (Director, La Trobe Centre for Global Security)(Chair)
Held on 29th September, 2026.
Who has been a guest on Asia Rising
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Ruth Gamble
Dongkeun Lee
Ambika Vishwanath
Titiksha Vashist
Emily T Yeh
Reach and audience
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YouTube views
7,402,494
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.6 / 5
17 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
8 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 83 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
92
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
95
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