Lucio Blanco Pitlo III is a Research Fellow at the Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation. He was a lecturer at the Chinese Studies Program at the Ateneo de Manila University and the International Studies at the De La Salle University and contributing editor (Reviews) for the journal Asian Politics & Policy published by Wiley. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Philippine Association for Chinese Studies. He had been a research assistant for various projects on maritime issues and Philippine foreign policy and also worked for the National Coast Watch Council Secretariat. He was a participant in numerous local and regional academic and Track 2 discussions on maritime security and connectivity. His commentaries and opinion pieces on maritime security, regional connectivity, and geopolitics appear in the South China Morning Post, China-US Focus, Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, The Diplomat, Pacific Forum, and Asia Times. He obtained his Master of Laws from Peking University and is presently pursuing his MA in International Affairs at American University in Washington D.C.