Category: Geo=Politics

Development and Economy, Geo=Politics, Rise of Asia, SDGsLeave a comment

No China Railway as Marcos Tilts Towards the US

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By Kalinga Seneviratne DAVAO, Philippines | 22 March 2023 (IDN)—After being elected to the presidency in a landslide vote in June 2016, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte visited China in October and declared that his country was realigning its foreign policy to move closer to China. He was accompanied by 400 Filipino business executives and returned home with Chinese pledges of investments and loans worth $24 billion. One of those investments was to build a 1300km railway across Mindanao Island with Chinese loans and technology. People on this long-neglected island eagerly waited for the railway, as Mindanao had never had a … Continue reading No China Railway as Marcos Tilts Towards the US

Geo=PoliticsLeave a comment

Is a “Muscular” India Alienating Neighbours?

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Analysis by Kalinga Seneviratne SINGAPORE | 16 January 2024 (IDN) — After returning from a week-long trip to China on January 14, the new Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu told journalists in Male: “We may be small, but that doesn’t give you the licence to bully us”. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that he was referring to India, not to China. In the September 2023 elections, Muizzu ran on a campaign slogan, “India out,” and immediately after taking office on November 7, he ordered the 70 Indian military personnel based in the Maldives to leave. The Indian military personnel … Continue reading Is a “Muscular” India Alienating Neighbours?