Security in China’s Silk Road: Roadblocks or express-way?

As world leaders gathered in Manila for the ASEAN Summit in November, experts, politicians and government advisors held a workshop on the maritime segment of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its impact on regional security in New World Hotel, Manila from November 13-14, 2017.  

The workshop titled “The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road: Considering Security Implications” was organized by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) to discuss the effects of China’s grand projects on security issues in the Asia Pacific.

FES Philippines Director Dr Johannes Kadura opened the workshop, emphasizing the topic of security as the dynamics between ASEAN countries, the United States, the European Union and China have changed dramatically over the years.  

General Emmanuel Bautista, former chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the active territorial disputes between China and some ASEAN countries could be a challenge for the Silk Road project.

Countries in the region may be cautious of deepening economic engagements with China, he said, especially when there are long-standing allegations of militarization by China in the West Philippine Sea. Bautista played an active role in the successful Philippine case against China in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 (link in English).

Professor Zhao Long from the Shanghai Institute for International Studies argued that the BRI will be a platform to prevent conflicts and disagreements in the region. Long said that China’s strategy for security has become non-traditional, securing China’s role in maintaining regional security.