JosE DE VEnEcIA

Founding Chairman of ICAPP and former Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines

JosE DE VEnEcIA

Founding Chairman of ICAPP and former Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines

The initiative of building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road proposed by President Xi Jinping will lead to a historic restructuring of geopolitics worldwide. Despite the disagreement on the issue of South China Sea， the Philippines is still included in the Maritime Silk Road envisioned by China. Such an open mentality will hopefully extend the Maritime Silk Road to Australia and even New Zealand via the Philippines. Therefore， the Maritime Silk Road is not simply a regional project. It is a grand project that involves not just Asia or Europe but the entire world， including Oceania，Latin America， and Africa. As China pushes forward the building of the new Silk Road， we see the emergence of a new Asian Century - a century free of conflicts， a century where development is shared by people of all countries，and a century where everyone does their best to help reach the common goal.