Philippines becomes latest country to exit China's BRI project

In a significant development that may have far-reaching geopolitical implications, the Philippine Department of Transportation announced the full termination of major infrastructure projects under China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in favour of competitors from the West and Japan on Thursday.

According to the Philippine Senate, doubt now shrouds nearly all of China's crucial investment initiatives in the Philippines due to economic and political factors. This has led to a new low in Philippine-China relations, marking a drastic reversal from the six years of warm engagement during the pro-Beijing Rodrigo Duterte presidency.

China's diplomatic approach in the Philippines under President Duterte faced criticism for being dubbed "pledge trap" diplomacy, involving substantial investments in exchange for concessions in the South China Sea. However, a vast majority of the promised $24 billion in infrastructure projects failed to materialise, as reported by Asia Times. In the aftermath of a recent collision between Chinese and Philippine sea vessels, US President Joe Biden explicitly said that the United States would respond to any attack on Philippine ships, aircraft, or soldiers stationed in the South China Sea in adherence to the terms of the Philippine-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).