Kindred spirits: The extraordinary parallels between the Philippines and Ukraine

In Tiananmen Square earlier this month, a spectacle of three world leaders standing side by side greeted an estimated crowd of 50,000: Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, North Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, and Russian President Vladimir Putin were smiling and projecting confidence, affirming their friendship and common motivations.

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The last time that the leaders of these three countries were seen together in a similar public display of solidarity was decades before, at the height of the Cold War.

Those present may have applauded, but the message that such a scene sent the rest of the world was chilling. They remind us of the daunting forces that destabilize the global order, threaten peace, and undermine the rules-based system. The events now happening in the world - China's hegemonic aspirations in the Indo-Pacific, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, North Korea's nuclear threat, as well as Iran's proxy wars and the continuing conflict in the Middle East are a reminder that those threats are alive and real.

Amid all these, what can the rest of the world do?

The only recourse is for countries who share the same concerns and values to band together to protect peace, sovereignty, and the rules-based order.

This is where the Philippines is with Ukraine, a country embattled by its three-and-a-half-year struggle to resist Russia's invasion. Our partnership with Ukraine is deepening, fueled by our parallel circumstances and shared values and commitments.

Ukraine is courageously defending its territory against outright armed aggression, while the Philippines asserts its sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea in the face of coercion and incursions. Both of our peoples endure gray-zone tactics, hybrid warfare, and disinformation campaigns deliberately designed to weaken national resolve and undermine sovereignty, waged across multiple domains from maritime and land to air and cyberspace.