Is Duterte the guy to get China’s assistance pouring into the country?
THE question is raised because, on the one hand, Duterte does appear dead serious in making a turnaround from the US to China in a host of concerns for building alliances, and, on the other hand, - ing Philippine economic development, Duterte must now begin seizing oppor through the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), as well as cooperative ventures with Chinese business companies… And Duterte, in the course of Obama, has expressed strong inclination toward China.
quotes - ciples of law and nothing else.”
statement. China is the fountainhead of AIIB, a multilateral development the Philippines being the last signa it. Being then a founding member of AIIB, the Philippines is in a good position to influence its decisions, particu million have been granted for power, Pakistan, Indonesia and Tarjikistan. The bank has a starting capital of $ 100 billion, which is two- thirds that of the Asian Development Bank ( ADB) and half of that of the World Bank. This means that as things stand at AIIB, so much is available for the Philippines to pursue its developmental plans not long term as well.
The latest data from the ADB places the financial needs of the Philippines - opmental projects for the decade. AIIB in projects in infrastructure, transport of the needed financing can be sourced through joint ventures and such other cooperative schemes as Chinese companies have done with countries like Vietnam and Thailand in Asean, and Uganda and Namibia in Africa. In village” program covering 100 villages, improved rice farming and the development of inland fisheries.
Just to give us an idea of how much wonder can Duterte do the Filipinos in cooperating with China, here is the example of Vietnam. In tourism, for the first half of 2016, it recorded 1.2 million Chinese tourist arrivals. Compare this with the Philippine figure of 300,000, the dismous potential investment in develop ing Asean economies, the Philippines is at the cellar. Here are figures in this performance represents regard from the Philippines- Asia Instia 100 percent increase tute for Strategic Studies ( PAISS). In from the previous peri od. This shows that the in the Asean region is as follows ( in mil - ing much effort in this that has the biggest potential for gain because of its low cost.
How much gain? Take Thailand now the development the metropolis has 10 million Chinese tourist arrivals this undertaken since the Chinese Com tourist arrivals netted $ 10.3 billion on imperialist restaurants entrances: to take place in the Philippines, in tourism alone China can well provide largest commercial center of China, its developmental projects for the its people, all 24 million of them, a next decade.
with their freedom as much as with Asean countries in all facets of indus trialization have resulted in the estab lishment of industrial parks and special economic zones all over the region, like the Morowali Tsingshan IndusShanghai is the paradigm of Chitrial Park in Indonesia, Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone in Cambodia, civilized, humane living that has made want and suffering of its citizens forever a thing of the past. This is the kind of Zone, Tagaung Taung Nickel Mine in living that Filipinos would aspire for Zone in Laos.
It is said that a consuming obses sion of Duterte is the construction of grown into a caring, doting big brother his Asean brothers, as the figures above Mindanao, joined up with a trans- arwould attest to. Problem is, as the fig ures show, the Philippines continues of Northern Luzon. Not a bad idea for to content itself with morsels of the one who got himself cussing Pope FranChinese pie. cis for the traffic jam the latter caused during his visit to the Philippines. With too, like Singapore perhaps. All it seems through his visit to China, scheduled earlier announcement. Such a visit is 20,000 kilometers. Construction of the expected to set the tone for realizing transfer agreements with renowned - train makers Alston, Siemens, Bombar
From its rich experience in building unanswered are two: its HSR, China has gained technologi cal expertise that should make it the that at the 2014 East Asia Summit in best- equipped for undertaking a muchIndonesia, Chinese President Xi Jinping made the rounds of the participating solve the perennial traffic problem in heads of state, shaking their hands – but Metro Manila. But of course, that would for one, President Benigno Aquino 3rd, subject Duterte to so much self- restraint who, it is said, refused to return the cour are hard to kill, true. But with such a - fic jams will clog the streets, not even Duterte the next Philippine President President Xi Jinping is waiting for?” Philippines all at the same time. ImagGranting Duterte is that President, to blurt out, Will the US let him do the pivot? Your guess is not as good as mine.
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