The Philippines is one of the many countries in Southeast Asia that have extensively pursued economic zone development. These zones have continuously evolved over time, with significant consequences.
Choosing to stop sourcing gold from conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs) may be the easy option for refiners seeking to de-risk their supply chains, but it is not the responsible option.
The Special Economic Zone of Thilawa epitomizes the essence of Japan’s new ‘infrastructural means for strategic ends’ approach to ODA policy, inaugurated by Abe.
“I think there was this idea that China should do more in the Middle East, but it seems like the Chinese experts are not able to spell out what “something else” is. There was no appetite for developing any regional partner or for building a relationship like the one that the United States has with Israel. There was no real appetite for military intervention. And so, at the end of the day, many were saying “we should do more, but we’re not sure about what we should do”.”