China and the Philippines are again embroiled in disputes in the South China Sea. Anna Rosario Malindog-Uy, director and vice president for external affairs of the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute, points out that the Philippines is being used as a pawn by the United States, which has exerted a large influence on the Philippines' foreign policy. "Filipinos like us, we don't want to have a problem with China. China is like a close neighbor. Filipinos and Chinese have to work it out together, and the dispute should be managed carefully, open-mindedly and pragmatically," she says.