“Parasitic or Mutual Ties?”: On the Belt and Road Initiative and the Philippines
By CJ Martinez
China is aggressively pursuing its geopolitical goal of regional hegemony through the implementation of the “Belt and Road Initiative”. What is in it for the Philippines?
Proposed in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aims to connect China closer to its overland neighbors in Europe, Central Asia, and South Asia, otherwise known as the “Belt,” and improve maritime connections in Southeast Asia, the Gulf Countries, East Africa, North Africa, and Europe, otherwise known as the “Road.” Essentially, the main objective of the initiative is to invest in countries that are along the BRI by providing loans to finance infrastructure projects deemed necessary to accelerate economic development — one of which is the Kaliwa Dam in the Philippines.
The 11 billion peso project aims to ensure water security for residents of the Greater Manila Area by transporting the resource from a planned reservoir in Quezon Province to Rizal Province via an underground tunnel. Even though the project would displace Dumagat-Remontado communities, there is no stopping its construction due to the Build, Build, Build Initiative of Rodrigo Duterte. Despite a contentious free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) from affected IP communities, the construction of the dam was still permitted to push through.
Environmental concerns were also raised with regard to the construction of the Kaliwa Dam. Low-lying communities in Quezon Province, which are frequently visited by strong typhoons, will have an increased vulnerability to landslides and flash floods. Furthermore, since the proposed reservoir and dam will cover a large area of the Sierra Madre, which is a well-known biodiversity hotspot, the natural habitat of 126 species of flora and fauna will be threatened. Despite such risks to the environment, the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR) issued an Environmental Compliance Certificate for the project.
Besides the Kaliwa Dam, other essential projects — The Chico River Pump Irrigation and the North-South Railway Project — were also part of the Chinese loans. With China becoming a strong partner of the Duterte administration, these China-funded projects are being fast-tracked to achieve their completion on the scheduled dates.
Looking more closely at our situation, China has been a shrewd partner willing to exploit Duterte’s subservience to Beijing. In addition to the obviously ludicrous debt, China has been cited to build artificial islands within Philippine territory and devastate our local reefs with damages amounting to 33 billion pesos every year. They also have been known to cruise near Recto Bank, wherein, in 2019, they have sunk our fishermen’s boats. The Duterte administration suspiciously accepted Chinese loans that had onerous terms while staying silent on Chinese intrusions in the West Philippine Sea. In fact, then-Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo stated that there would be nothing wrong if Recto Bank, the Philippines’ very oil-rich bank, would be used to pay our owed debts to China.
The Duterte Administration has a reputation for taking a spineless stand in the West Philippine Sea territorial dispute. Duterte himself said that “we owe them a debt of gratitude — a lot, including our vaccines.” Despite the looming existence of Chinese vessels on the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone, the Duterte administration has done nothing but maintain friendly diplomatic ties with Beijing.
A deceitful pattern thus emerges. To say the least, it is plausible that the conspiracy against China could be true — that China is aggressively pursuing its geopolitical goal of regional hegemony through the implementation of the BRI for the sake of trapping vulnerable developing countries in debt. Sri Lanka and Ecuador, for example, have fallen victim to predatory Chinese loans with their Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport and Coca Codo Sinclair Dam.
Despite the theory of the Chinese Debt Trap diplomacy still being widely debated as nothing more than a Western perspective, it is still probable that we may not be able to pay these debts to China. Similar to Ecuador’s surrendering of oil exports and Sri Lanka’s turning over of deepwater port rights to China, we may as well have already become another exhibit of the Chinese debt trap. Unfortunately, this is not the only pit we have fallen into; the Philippines owes loans to other powerhouse countries as well. For the purpose of responding to the pandemic and other budgetary requirements, the Philippines currently has an outstanding debt of 10.77 trillion pesos.
With all these in mind, it is not surprising that the Duterte administration is now in cohorts with China — kowtowing to every Chinese demand. Make no mistake, China may be coy about its relations with our country but they are taking advantage of the incoherent and mendicant foreign policy of Duterte. With Duterte lifting the ban on the West Philippine Sea Oil exploration, this was an opportunity for China to roam around the West Philippine Sea. Two days after lifting the said ban, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian revealed that China and the Philippines have reached a consensus over a Joint Exploration on the West Philippine Sea. Recently, Senate President Vicente Sotto III renewed his call for this joint exploration. Furthermore, unrestricted access to the waters of the West Philippine Sea is necessary for the “Road” component of the BRI. Hence, it will be no surprise if we will continue to see more of China in the years to come.
Given how lenient the current administration has been with China, this cordial diplomatic relations could mean grave danger for us. Allowing China to continue its encroachment could mean the further undermining of Philippine sovereignty. From environmental degradation to potential plundering of our own resources, China is a force with which to be reckoned. Hence, we must continue to be resolute in our calls for China’s exit from our territories. In line with this, we must also hold Duterte accountable for his negligence in protecting our Exclusive Economic Zone and make the call to oust louder!
