Political and Economic Relationships Between China and the Philippines Under the OBOR Initiative

The “One Belt One Road” (OBOR) initiative is both an anticipated opportunity and a potential threat that has led Southeast Asian countries to adopt disparate policies for China. In this study, the history of economic development in the Philippines and the Philippines’ needs for foreign capital are described briefly from both political and economic perspectives. Next, the political and economic risk that OBOR poses to the Philippines is analyzed. The assertion of this study is that future advancement OBOR will be impacted by internal Filipino politics as well as Philippines–United States and Japan–United States relations. How China and the Philippines decrease the perceived threat of the South China Sea issue and improve economic expectations will depend on the interactions between the two countries..