Lucio Blanco Pitlo III
Research Fellow, Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation
Jul 20, 2015
The upcoming 2016 Philippine Presidential election will have significant bearing on the future of infrastructure development and relations in the South China Sea. The next Philippines president may push closer to the U.S., while some want greater economic and humanitarian aid from China.
May 15, 2015
Philippine efforts to revisit the historical value of the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade (MAGT) and China's revival of the Maritime Silk Road (MSR) can be seen as national projects aimed at rekindling a deep historical relationship with the sea. Growing Sino-Latin American trade may encourage an extension of the MSR across the Pacific and also reignite the importance of MAGT.
Apr 24, 2015
The Philippines is seeing a year of impressive economic growth (at 6.3%) despite the lacking foreign direct investment due to woeful infrastructure constraints. The AIIB can be an additional source of funding for local infrastructure projects. Political disputes surrounding the China Sea disputes were not enough to trump the economic importance of this cooperation.